Secrets and Lies in a Shattered World
by Nara Bluestar
Summary: Two hunters must preserve their own dangerous secret as they try to uncover the schemes of the Burning Legion in Outland. Demons, murderous enemies, and the prejudices of their own factions await them. DraeneiXorc.
1. Chapter 1

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A/N: This is a sequel to In a Dark Place and Joined Lives. You're missing background (and some smut- oh noes!) if you start here, but I can't stop you. :D This story does stand on its own, though. And as usual, I don't own WoW or anything Blizz created, just my own story and characters.

One note before I turn you lose- It was less obvious in my previous stories, but I've chosen to treat flightpoints as if they were exclusively a convenience of the game mechanics and not practical in a real world. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this one. Huge thanks to all the people who've reviewed my stories- it's nice to know when people are reading!

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The nightmare came to her again. She turned her fel-green eyes up to Sarzuun and smiled in worshipful devotion. He took her on the throne there in the hall, torches dancing madly in twisting pillars of flame as she screamed her ecstasy to the cold stone walls. Again and again she came until she thought she would die in bliss, but Sarzuun melted away and the torches died to a feeble, sputtering glow. She was alone on the twisted black throne, but not alone in the hall. In a cage to her left was Galmak, hand stretching desperately toward her. She threw open the cage door and he stumbled out. She moved close to him, stroking and touching him until he groaned with the agony of his need, and finally she shoved him roughly to the floor and plunged herself down onto his manhood. Her eyes flared with demonic fire and her laughter echoed around the hall.

Hyara felt warm arms around her and she realized she was awake and sobbing. Galmak stroked his fingers through her hair and rocked her. She'd never told him much about these nightmares, but she didn't need to; he had some of his own to cope with occasionally, even now a few years after the events in Winterspring.

"It's alright, love," he whispered. "It's gone now. You're here with me."

She pressed her cheek to his warm, solid chest. He lowered her gently back down to the bedroll and pulled the blanket closer around them. She lay silently in his arms, staring up at the grey clouds swirling fitfully across the stars of the Blasted Lands. Tomorrow they would pass through the Portal. It loomed over them even now, spreading its eerie green glow across the small cross-faction defensive camp where they lay unobtrusively in the shadow of a command tent. Through that fragile magical barrier lurked demons in numbers unheard of on Azeroth for many years. Hyara had no doubt about what had triggered her nightmare again.

Galmak wiped her tears gently from under her glowing eyes. "You know we don't have to go."

She looked at him in surprise. They'd never talked as if not going to Outland were a possibility. "Yes, we do," she said. "You know we do… it's the world we're from. How could we not see the world we're from?" She settled her cheek against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "It was just the same stupid nightmare. I'm not going to let that drive my life. I _will_ see Outland, and if we have to fight demons there, then we'll fight them and they'll die."

Galmak smiled in the darkness and kissed his wife softly on one horn.

* * *

Day dawned red and sultry. They had risen in the dark at the first stirrings of the camp and now Hyara and Galmak stood before the Portal with other members of their own factions. Hyara listened uneasily to the Alliance commander as he gave the briefing and tried not to keep glancing to where Galmak stood nearby in the Horde side of the camp.

"We've had reports since yesterday that some of the Legion activity seems to have reached a temporary lull," the commander was saying. "That most likely means that a caravan will be leaving soon from the Stair of Destiny. Word's been sent through that we've got you lot coming through today, so they'll be waiting to start off. Now I know you all know how things are on Azeroth between the Alliance and the Horde." He glared sharply around at the gaggle of adventurers. So green, so wide-eyed and ready. "Well, see that thing?" He jabbed a finger backward at the huge barrier of swirling energy. "Through there things are different. And you're all going to come to realize that sometimes that means it's better, and sometimes that means it's worse. Through there we all fight a common enemy and that can call for cooperation. But never forget for a second that they're still the Horde, they'll still kill you the second your back is turned. Now, that caravan I mentioned is going to have those Horde in it too. This is a case where cooperation is necessary to make it safely through the demon lands between the Portal and Honor Hold and Thrallmar. Just make sure you don't forget and you keep your eyes open."

With that, the commander walked back down the steps of the Portal and disappeared inside a tent. The group of adventurers looked around at each other for a moment, confused. The Horde commander had apparently left his own recruits in the lurch too, Hyara saw; they too were looking uneasily at each other as if they didn't know what was expected of them next.

The Alliance commander reappeared at the tent's entrance. "WELL? What are you waiting for!" he bellowed. The group jumped as one, but now they began moving toward the Portal. He chuckled nastily to himself. He loved doing that to these naive adventurer types. They'd soon learn how to survive in Hellfire Peninsula. Or not.

Hyara patted Gink, took a deep breath, and strode forward to the Portal. Galmak was approaching too from her right and she risked sending a smile his way. Just before they melted through the swirling magic his hand shot out and enclosed hers in a firm, reassuring grip, and they stepped through together into the world of Hyara's birth.

They stepped through and promptly ran into a small pile-up of people on the other side. Everyone had stopped to gawk in wonder at the world spread out before them. The Portal on this side was even bigger, its shimmering green light bathing a wide, tiered stone stair. Horde and Alliance defenders scurried everywhere across its surface, shouting orders, moving supplies, tending wounded soldiers. Beyond the Stair of Destiny lay a scarred, red land. Hyara could see no trees, no bushes, not even any water, only miles of red dirt gashed with deep chasms and jagged hills. Far away near the horizon a few plumes of yellowish smoke snaked upward toward the sky… The sky! Hyara gaped as her eyes finally took in the most startling aspect of this broken world. Filaments and bands of nether energy swayed and twisted across the sky in an eerie, languid light show. Enormous planets hung suspended as if brooding just out of reach, their surfaces ribboned with browns and reds and blues.

Hyara felt a gentle squeeze on her hand and snapped out of her trance. Galmak looked shaken, but his eyes and a slight jerk of his head told her that she had missed something. She saw now that she was the only Alliance member still standing before the portal; the rest had moved off to hear what one of the defenders was telling them about the caravan. The Horde had also started to drift toward their own side of the Stair. As she moved away from the Portal, the sound of its odd, chiming whisper faded. Hyara breathed in deeply and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to reorient herself in this wild, beleaguered world she'd crossed into. _I was born here…_ What an odd thought.

A hand touched her shoulder and she opened her eyes. It was a human Alliance officer.

"Miss, are you alright?"

She nodded.

"Okay… so, our caravan will be leaving in under an hour. You can see it's pretty quiet now. Hopefully it'll stay that way long enough for us to get underway. Sometimes we've got pit lords and infernals galore raining down on us. Oh, right… the name's Darian, I'm stationed out of Honor Hold. Now look, we're going to be traveling with Horde, and anyone who causes trouble gets left to make friends with the demons. We do it like this 'cause it makes the most sense for defensive purposes. Anyone have a problem with that?"

No one said anything, and he strode off down to the next tier of the Stair where a motley line of Alliance and Horde mounts waited, strapped with various bundles and a few small crates. Hyara could pick out her own armored horse and Galmak's faithful riding wolf, sent through the day before so they could be loaded with supplies for Honor Hold and Thrallmar and ready to go by the time the adventurers came through the Portal.

She wandered down a few steps and sat to relieve her shaking legs. Could this world possibly have once been as Azeroth was, with towns, trees, people going about ordinary lives? _Holy Light. __Gheris__ remembers this place. _She rested a hand on Gink's back as he sat next to her.

"It's not all like this, you know." She turned to see Darian looking at her with sympathy. "Hellfire's no joke, that's for sure, but there are places that seem almost… normal."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, and closed her eyes. A long-forgotten memory shimmered into being, her last glimpse of Outland until this very day: she clung in terror to her father's neck and peered downward into an abyss of writhing nether energy before the walls of the Exodar rushed in to surround them and carry them to the world she would call home.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Galmak watching her with concern. She threw him a quick smile and stood as the commander bellowed the caravan's imminent departure. How could Galmak be so unconcerned, so unphased by all this?

_He's not_, Gink said, but he wouldn't say any more.

* * *

Hyara took a swig from her waterskin and smeared the back of her hand across her forehead, trying to wipe away sweat and grimy red dust. Next to her, Gink had taken on a coating of the stuff himself, transforming his misty outline into a reddish haze. The travelers on their mounts walked two-by-two in a short line, sixteen strong, down the broad road that spread west from the Portal. The Path of Glory, it was called, but there wasn't much glorious about it unless you cared for prodigious amounts of dust and heat. Galmak and Hyara had contrived to walk next to each other near the front of the line, but they didn't dare show any signs of familiarity beyond the occasional glance. And though they didn't like this arrangement with its need for secrecy, they dreaded even more what would inevitably come later in their journey: the time when the caravan would break apart and continue separately to Honor Hold and Thrallmar.

_We'll have to put in some time here for our people, you know that. But I'll be damned if I want to stay in this place for too long_, Gink said. Hyara knew the true origin of that thought and she smiled and sent a silent thanks to her faithful cat. He and Palla didn't like to do this very often, but once in a while they would help out with communication when nothing else was possible.

_I know. We need to work out where and when to meet_, she relayed to Gink to convey to Palla.

_For the when, no longer than a week.__ For the where, I have absolutely no idea. We don't know a thing about this place yet._

Hyara squinted in the grit and glare to look once more toward the horizon. So far no demons had been in evidence, which had heartened them all despite the uncomfortable conditions. The yellowish plumes of smoke still rose in the distance, closer now. Forge camps, Darian had explained, where the Legion constructed its fel reavers and other mechanical instruments.

"Fel reavers? What are those?" a gnome had asked, his bushy green eyebrows twitching.

Darian had chuckled darkly. "You'd better hope you never find out. But here's a clue: if the ground starts shaking, it's time to get the fuck away."

A shadow flickered briefly in Hyara's line of vision, but much closer than where she was gazing into the distance. Her senses were suddenly tingling with alarm. At the same moment the troll Horde commander barked something she didn't catch, and Darian pulled his horse to a sharp halt. Hyara caught the human's eye and pointed silently to where she'd seen movement. Next to her Galmak held his bow, already strung and ready. Uneasy silence descended on the caravan, broken only by the soft whisper of steel unsheathing all down the line. A few mounts whinnied or growled nervously at the sudden tension of their masters.

All at once there was a whoosh of displaced air and a sudden searing heat as a green fireball erupted from behind an outcrop up ahead. The fireball struck a night elf in the chest, blasting him from his nightsaber and sending him sailing a full twenty feet away to land still and crumpled in the dust. People screamed, mounts reared and danced wildly.

"HOLD! Hold, fools! Separate and we're all dead!" Darian shouted along with the Horde commander. Hyara and Galmak, along with most of the others, slid off their mounts to crouch low to the ground. Gink's throat rumbled with a low, sustained growl. A human priestess crawled to where the night elf lay and began channeling a powerful healing spell.

Low voices began traveling up and down the line. "Where are they? Why don't they attack? Was that it?" Darian and the Horde commander were conversing in whispers where they crouched at the head of the caravan.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Galmak muttered. Hyara shook her head. She didn't know what the commanders made of this, but she didn't like it one bit… it felt as if they were being toyed with. She told Galmak so, and he nodded in agreement. Carefully he crept the short way up the line and Hyara followed him.

"Is it the Legion's usual practice to play games with travelers?" the orc growled to the Horde commander.

"No, mon," the troll said. "Dis be unusual. Looked like a fel cannon blast, but der been none 'o dem along here befo'."

Hyara felt a tug on her arm. It was the gnome from the back of the caravan; he'd crawled up too and was trying to listen. "What are they saying?" he whispered.

"The troll just said that thing looked like a blast from a fel cannon, but they've never seen those here before."

Darian looked at her sharply. "Ah, someone else who speaks orcish. That'll come in handy."

"I could go look," the gnome said, squinting toward where the blast had originated. The heat haze made it difficult to discern what might be lurking behind that jagged outcrop, or even how big the outcrop was. Galmak was staring that way too, looking thoughtful. Hyara wasn't entirely sure she liked the look on his face.

"Can those things be disabled?" he asked.

It was Darian who responded. "Possibly. If anyone could get close enough to have a look at one. Only way I've heard of it being done is by brute force. I take it you don't mean that?"

Galmak shook his head. "I'm an engineer. I might be able to do something with it if I could get to it."

Darian looked at the gnome. "You an engineer?" he asked in Common.

The gnome spit in the dust. "Naw. We aren't all, you know."

Darian sighed and switched back to orcish. "Alright. We've got one stealther and we've got one engineer. Two separate people. And we don't know what's up there."

"We can't get down dis road wit dat cannon pickin' us off like fish in a trap, mon." The troll drummed his long fingers impatiently on the ground. "If dey go up roun' da side de'll be out o' line 'o sight fo' dat ting."

Hyara had been conveying the discussion to the gnome even as she felt fear rising in her gut. She gulped and said to the gnome, "You'll have to scout ahead for him, make sure it's safe. Make sure he can get there without being spotted."

The rogue just glared. "Duh," he said. He motioned for Galmak to follow, then his small form faded until only faint stirrings of the air and the barest spider-web's trace of movement showed his passage. Palla whined unhappily, but she stayed where she was as Galmak followed the gnome in a crouch. Hyara touched a hand to Gink's side and he prowled off at the orc's heels. With his ghostly shape coated in the red dust he was nearly invisible. They made their way cautiously back down the road a short distance, keeping low and mostly concealed by the shallow embankment at the side of the path. By watching closely Hyara could see stirrings of dust and rocks shifted ever so slightly by the rogue as he turned off the road and began to creep up the rise to where he could peer around to the other side of the rocky outcrop that formed a low, natural wall stretching for several dozen yards near the southern side of the road. The gnome must have given some signal, because Galmak suddenly flattened on the ground and Gink instantly froze, one paw raised. There was an unidentifiable noise from behind the rocks, a scrambling sound, and Galmak leapt up and disappeared around the outcrop. Hyara realized her hands were pressed to her mouth and her tail was lashing in fear. Another ball of green fire erupted from the rocks, but this time the aim was off and it blew chunks of dirt and rock out of the outcrop and high into the air.

_Come, hurry._

"They need help!" Hyara dashed off in response to Gink's summons. She rounded the rocks in a frantic skid, followed closely by Palla. A huge felguard stood with its axe in hand, swiping the air as Galmak dodged and tried to parry with his own axes. The gnome clung to one of the demon's armored legs; he was lashing out frantically, his daggers whirling, but the demon ignored the blows. Gink was also clawing and biting to little effect, jumping around to avoid being crushed by the thing's heavy feet. Hyara raised her bow and took aim at an unarmored spot on the demon's upper arm. It howled in pain as the arrow buried itself in flesh, and the demon charged her. Someone shoved her aside, she lost her footing, and she rolled down the embankment halfway to the road. She looked up to see an undead raising a shield to block the blows now raining down on him.

One felguard didn't stand a chance once the entire caravan had converged on it. Now the demon lay dead by the road. The commanders were picking over it carefully, examining it for any information it might have carried about the Legion's activities. Galmak was over at the fel cannon with Hyara sitting near, watching as he removed a few panels for a look at the thing's inner workings. She hissed as he moved his arm and she caught sight of a long scratch.

"You're hurt." She reached out and caught his arm.

" 'Hurt' is hardly the word. It's nothing." He made as if to pull his arm away but she tugged it back and channeled her Gift of the Naaru. "Thank you, love," he said quietly, and wished he could kiss her. He loved to see her use that simple healing spell, loved that beautiful glyph that floated above her beautiful face.

Hyara tore her eyes away from Galmak's and began examining the inside of the cannon as Darian approached. "What have we got here?" the commander asked in orcish.

Galmak looked up. "This thing seems practically unused. Probably wouldn't be a stretch to say that the blast that hit that night elf was the first time it'd been fired."

Darian's brow furrowed. "New fel cannons… I don't like the sound of that. And why the hell is there only this one, with a lone felguard on a rampage?"

"Now, I can tell you about that." They all jumped as the gnome materialized behind Galmak. He was sitting in the dirt leaning back easily on his hands, and he seemed thrilled that he'd startled three people at once. "See way down there toward that drop? There's a whole camp full of those guys set up down there right under the lip of the chasm." He gestured toward the dead felguard and scratched his bald head. "And guess what they're doing? Yep, making these things. My guess is that they're planning on lining this stretch of the road with them. Maybe this guy got a little overzealous and decided to test his out ahead of schedule. Nobody ever said felguards were the brightest."

Darian swore vigorously and dashed off to find the Horde commander. The gnome shook his head and muttered something under his breath, then he too walked off toward the road.

The rogue's news of the felguard camp lit a serious fire under the pants of Darian and the Horde commander. They bellowed and blustered until the whole group, including the injured night elf and the battered undead warrior, were mounted up and trotting along again at double time. The group grumbled a bit about wanting to rest and eat something after the fight, but only half-heartedly; no one wanted to stay long on this sweltering, unprotected road, especially now. And everyone understood clearly the importance of the news they now carried to Honor Hold and Thrallmar. The Legion could not be allowed to cut off the only access to and from the Dark Portal.

And Hyara and Galmak couldn't help but worry a little about how long that gnome had been sitting there before unstealthing.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

/target Kuss

/cheer for sticking with me and reviewing! You're the best :)

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It seemed that everyone in Honor Hold had some message or box of supplies they wanted delivered, and they all wanted Hyara to do the delivering. It was becoming pretty apparent that anyone who'd just popped fresh from the Dark Portal was the lowest of the low in terms of getting the more interesting or rewarding jobs in Hellfire Peninsula. She'd just endured a tongue-lashing from a particularly feisty officer about the condition of a crate containing Light-knows-what (he didn't seem very interested in hearing that she'd had to cut it out of the gut of a giant sand worm), and now she sunk gratefully into a chair in the inn. Gink flopped down as far as he could get from the fire and lost no time falling dead asleep. It had been nearly a week now since Hyara's arrival here, a week full of new sights and experiences, nearly every minute full of something that had to be done for the Alliance's endless battle to stave off the Legion. But every minute somehow found a way to seem lonely and empty too. Only a week, but they hadn't been separated for this long since… since _then_. What did they have him doing over there? Hopefully nothing worse than anything she'd been doing… And they still had no plan for meeting. They'd decided on a week, but they hadn't known of anywhere safe. _Just keep your eyes open after a week_, he'd said. She sighed and took a gulp of water; it seemed that was all she wanted to drink in this sun-seared place. Two days now. They'd make it… and then what? She'd heard and seen enough by now to realize that this world was far more dangerous than most of Azeroth, its communities more tightly-knit and forced by necessity to fragment more sharply into Horde and Alliance. There were exceptions, like Shattrath, the great city so many people talked about as if it were the one speck of high civilization left in this world. The Cenarion druids also had a presence in Outland. But this world was wild, contested, its dangers less static and familiar than those of Azeroth. It _was_ different here, just as the soldier in the Blasted Lands had warned, and Hyara was only just beginning to grasp a feel for the dynamics of it. 

The door banged and Hyara recognized the gnome from the caravan as he stomped testily into the inn.

"Gimmie something strong," he told the barkeep and reached up to rub his bald pate with a cuff. He noticed Hyara watching him and started to glare, then recognition crossed his face. "Hey, you're the draenei."

"That's true," Hyara said gravely.

The gnome puffed out a lip. "The draenei from the caravan, I mean, smartass. Mind if I sit?"

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Hey, sorry. Long day, you know?" He clunked his mug on the table and held out a hand. "I'm Split Fizzdrive. We didn't meet properly before."

She took his hand. "I'm Hyara. So they've kept you busy too, then?"

He grimaced and took a prodigious swig of whiskey. "I guess we all asked for it when we agreed to the terms of their caravan. Say, did you hear they went after that camp we found? Blew the whole place up, must've been quite a fireball. Ran into some Horde there too with the same idea; I heard they had a little skirmish."

She had heard they were going to destroy the felguard camp; she'd run quite a few errands for the unit before they set off. She hadn't heard about the Horde, though.

"The Horde was there too? What kind of skirmish was it? Were many people killed?"

"I dunno. Alliance kills Horde, Horde kills Alliance. Just like always. Must've been people killed." He swung his boots up onto the table and leaned back in his chair, looking at her with half-closed eyes. "Begging your pardon, but my feet are a little sore. Horde are an odd lot, though. Can't imagine why they wouldn't just let us do our thing there, why they had to fight over the job of blowing up the Legion."

"What makes you think we got there first?"

He wrinkled his bulbous nose and didn't answer. They sat in silence for a few moments until Hyara hid a yawn and rose. "I really ought to get some sleep now. It was nice to see you again, Split." She whistled to Gink, who stretched lazily and ambled over.

"Eh, nice to see you too." He winked and raised his glass. "If you're into shorter men, gimmie a holler."

Hyara smiled. "I'm taken. But thanks anyway." She walked to the back of the inn and out to the small bunkhouse that accommodated all the lowly adventurers still proving their worth in this hell. Tired though she was, sleep was elusive that night. They wouldn't have sent him out on a mission like that. Not an unseasoned new recruit. They just wouldn't have.

* * *

Two days later Hyara told them she'd be moving on to see the rest of Outland. They fussed and wheedled a little, but she'd upheld her end of the bargain and in the end they had to admit she'd done well. She packed up her few bags and turned her horse north and west, intending to head roughly toward the Temple of Telhamat and the point where the roads leading from Honor Hold and Thrallmar converged after passing Hellfire Citadel. She stuck to the path, wary of the fel orcs that lurked near the Citadel. She'd heard people speak of a great orc chieftain who ruled there and commanded the fel orcs but had no allegiance to the Legion. She made a mental note to ask Galmak what he knew about that. 

Twilight was falling now and still there was no sign of Galmak. She was less than an hour's ride from the Temple. She turned her horse and decided to double back a ways down the road to Thrallmar; perhaps he'd gotten a later start than she had. A huge black silhouette loomed suddenly against the dimming sky as she turned. An eerie blaring wail raked across her ears and Hyara shrunk in the saddle as the ground trembled beneath her horse's hooves. The horse shied, lost its footing on the rocks, and Hyara had barely enough time to fling herself out of the saddle before the animal went down.

_Shit!_ She pushed herself up, her front now covered in dust. If her horse had broken a leg out here with that thing coming at them… But her mount had recovered, apparently unharmed by its fall. The fel reaver, Hyara saw now, hadn't been very close. She shuddered again as she watched the powerful mechanical disappearing into the dark distance. The horse, still spooked, danced away from her several times before she was able to grab the bridle, but her soothing whispers soon calmed it.

_Watch it._ Gink's sudden alertness made her freeze, but a few seconds later his relief and happiness flooded into her. She turned in time to see Galmak's grey-white timber wolf emerge soundlessly from the darkness, Palla by his side. Hyara ran to him and he jumped down and caught her in his arms.

"Oh, Light," she said when she could breathe again from his kisses. "I was so worried after I heard about that skirmish at the felguard camp… they didn't send you, did they?"

"No, love," he answered, but he felt a little guilty. He'd almost made it into that operation; it'd been sheer bad luck that someone more experienced had become available at the last minute. He changed the subject. "Did you see that fel reaver?"

"Yes. It spooked my horse. Some of my bags got tossed-" She broke off as Gink suddenly gave a mental snarl. Galmak was staring ahead into the darkness up the road.

"There's somebody coming," he whispered. "Make that three somebodies." He swore under his breath. "Palla says it's two trolls and an undead."

They glanced around, but they stood in the middle of the road with only darkness and dirt to either side. Hyara's packs lay strewn around near her horse. A raptor screamed up ahead and they heard the clacking of talons and hooves as the riders approached.

"Hey, whas dis?" A troll held out a long staff, its rounded end pulsing with bluish light. His eyes took in the orc and the draenei standing in the middle of the road. A riding wolf and a horse stood close by behind them. The draenei was scratched and covered in dust.

The undead grinned, revealing only half a mouthful of teeth. "Oh, how interesting… one little Alliance bitch and four Horde. How do you like those odds?" The trolls laughed. One of them twirled a dagger with a casual grace that made Hyara wish she had her bow in hand.

"You goin' kill her, or we get to, orc?" said the troll with the staff.

Hyara wiped a hand across her face and muttered the first thing that occurred to her. "Tell them I'm your slave."

Galmak cleared his throat and glanced from Hyara to the men in front of them and back to her. Finally he said, "You kill her and you'll all be paying me a shitload of gold. Do you know how much a slave like this is worth?"

The riders exchanged looks. "Mo' gold den you look like you got, mon." They laughed. "Thought you orcs didn' take too kindly ta slavin' anymo', mon. Da Warchief don' like it."

Galmak crossed his arms. "I take opportunities when I see them. Maybe Thrall never had an opportunity like this one."

The troll cackled. "Dat be da truth, mon. I believe I neva did see an opportunity quite as good as dat one."

Galmak continued to stare at the three riders. "Load your bags back up, we're going on tonight," he said to Hyara. Meekly she knelt and began to gather her things.

"Alright," the undead said genially enough. "If you think you have her under control…" They laughed again. Galmak forced himself to smile and salute as the group trotted on their way to Thrallmar. When the three had disappeared into the darkness Galmak walked over to his riding wolf and leaned heavily against the animal. Hyara rushed to his side in concern.

"Galmak, what's wrong? It was close, but not that close… we did alright."

He looked sick and turned to spit in the dust. "I told them you're my slave, that's what's wrong."

"It was only to save my life," she said softly. She ran her fingers through his dark hair and kissed him.

They mounted up and continued west, hoping to find a suitable campsite soon but not wanting to stop too close to their encounter on the road in case the trio decided to come back and make further trouble. They rode side by side, Hyara's hand in Galmak's. Hyara remembered with a smile the times when Galmak's wolf was their only mount. How fun, how cozy it had been to snuggle her back against him as they rode, to feel his chin rest on her shoulder and his warm breath on her neck as they talked. It had lasted for a shorter time than they both had wished; but it just wasn't practical or safe for her to ride with him all the time.

"Love," she said softly, and he squeezed her hand. "This week has been hard, being away from you, not knowing if you were safe." He grunted agreement. She forged ahead even though she knew he wouldn't like what she had to say. "That thing about me being your slave… I think that might be the answer to how we can stick together most of the time."

"Gods, Hyara, are you out of your mind?" he exclaimed. "That was… disgusting. I can't do it again. I won't do it again!"

"Then it'll be just like this week the whole time we're in Outland. Unless we go to this Shattrath City I keep hearing about and stay there. We'll each go our separate ways and not know a thing till a week, or two, or however long. Or maybe one day one of us won't show up at all. Maybe that'll be the end. Galmak, I would haunt that road for the rest of my life and beyond. I'd tell myself from here to forever that you would still show up some day."

He squeezed her hand again and wished he could put his arms around her and dry the tears he heard in her voice. What she was proposing revolted him; the idea of claiming that his wife was his property made him feel sick. But she was right. Apart from her even half the time was not a way he wanted to live. And not knowing if she was safe or even alive when they were apart took his thoughts back to much darker days.

"It's not as if we'd even have to act that way very much," she continued. "Times like back there on the road, when we need to stop somewhere for supplies or rest, when we just feel like sleeping in a safe place for a night… it wouldn't be often."

"And when we run into Alliance? If those three had been Alliance instead of Horde? Am I your slave then?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. Why was he forcing her to say it? "I… you know that won't work," she said softly.

He suddenly felt terribly angry. He dropped her hand and barked a sharp command to his wolf, urging it to a run. He wasn't really angry at her; that wasn't fair. But why did she have to be so damned right? Draenei didn't take slaves, they never had. But orcs did on occasion; they who had known slavery themselves. Thrall had tried to stop it, but it still happened and was still accepted.

Hyara laid her head against her horse's mane and closed her eyes. In their years together she'd seen Galmak angry only a few times. He was the most patient man she'd ever known. She hated herself for cutting so close to a nerve he tried to ignore, to keep buried and inaccessible. Why did such a good man harbor so much guilt over things utterly beyond his control?

Ahead and far to her right soft lights spilled across the ground from a tiered settlement on the side of a hill. It was the Temple of Telhamat, its familiar, softly-curved draenei architecture and glowing blue crystal walls enclosing a holy site that still survived here.

"Galmak?" she called softly into the darkness. He couldn't have gone far; he wouldn't leave her for long.

_He's here_, Gink said from some way ahead. Her cat was sprinting back now to prowl protectively around his mistress.

Galmak sat on the roadside, leaning back against his wolf's soft fur with his hands folded on his chest. He looked so still he might be sleeping, but his eyes were fixed on the sky. Its ribbons of light pulsed more brilliantly now, weaving in slow undulations between the stars. Hyara slipped off the horse and lay next to her husband. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him.

After several silent moments he spoke. "I came here hoping I'd find some remnant of what my people once were before we slid into hell. But all I've seen so far is a hell we created and dragged others into. I'm sorry, Hyara. And you're right. My pride doesn't matter, I'd rather be with you. If you can endure it, so can I; we should go with your plan. But only when there's no other choice."

She rested her palm against his cheek and turned his face to hers. "I can take others' contempt knowing you love me. It's not our fault the world makes us hide a beautiful truth behind a vile pretense because that's what it would rather see."

He took her in his arms and pulled her up to sit on his lap. His body was reminding him now that it had been a week since he'd seen her. Gods, he loved this woman.

They made a hasty little camp some way off the road behind a few tumbled boulders and then he made love to her, fiercely but tenderly, under the rippling, luminescent sky. The rest of Outland awaited, and they would see it together.

* * *

The cross into Zangarmarsh the next day came suddenly, a surprise that brought them up short as they climbed a final hill and looked down. The air blew cooler and wetter across their faces, carrying an earthy, dank fragrance that, while not unpleasant, seemed wholly alien after the scorched wind of the Peninsula. Hyara gazed up at the towering mushrooms and a delighted smile spread across her face. 

"I remember!" She was practically bouncing up and down in her saddle. "Galmak, I remember this place, it's familiar! Oh gods, I thought it was a dream, something I'd made up as a little girl… the place with the giant mushrooms and the little city on top!" She leaned precariously over to Galmak and hugged him in excitement.

Galmak shook his head in wonderment; these little revelations still had the power to amaze him. He'd known since their first days together that Hyara was older than he, at least in terms of actual years though not in terms of experience in the world. When she talked like this it reminded him of that gap and made him feel oddly proud of her remarkable differences with himself and the world he'd always known. He tried not to let himself dwell on what those differences meant for the future. She with her draenei's lifespan had so many years ahead of her that she would still be a young woman on the day when he finally would have to leave her forever. He pushed back thoughts of his own mortality and smiled and kissed her. "A city on top of these mushrooms? Are you sure you didn't make up that part?" he teased.

She stuck out her tongue. "We'll just have to find it. If it's still here, that is," she said with a sigh.

Galmak pulled out the tattered map he'd picked up in Thrallmar. "There are several settlements, looks like. Any of these sound familiar? Cenarion Refuge… it wouldn't have been called that. Swamprat Post, Telredor, Zabra'jin… that's a troll name, it wouldn't have been called that either."

She shrugged, skimming over the other names on the map. "I just don't remember. I didn't even know this place was real until now. My family barely spoke of the years before Azeroth. I suppose I should have asked more questions, but it made my mother so upset… I learned not to talk about it."

"We'll ask around about it, Cenarion Refuge should be very close."

They prodded their mounts forward. The road dipped and wound among the thick, moss-stained boles of smaller outlying mushrooms. Here the dirt path was softer in the humidity, the ground to either side becoming more bog-like as they descended. The sounds of the marsh began to close in around them too. Insects hummed, flitting like darts through the heavy warm air. Unseen frogs chirped and croaked from the murky channels, revealing themselves in sudden, explosive splashes of glinting light and water when they leapt. A faint mist fell constantly from the underside of the mushroom canopy where the marsh's water condensed in glistening droplets. The mushrooms themselves grew everywhere, colossal marsh-guardians with spotted, wizened trunks in a hundred subtle shades. The fluted caps of some of the tallest were lost in mist. Hyara and Galmak rounded a bend and they were suddenly upon Cenarion Refuge. A pair of tauren wardens nodded to them as they passed into the settlement, polite and grave as only the Cenarion druids could be.

They went straight to the inn to secure a room for the night, and then Hyara dashed off to the bath-house. Galmak wanted to clean up too after the grime and heat of Hellfire Peninsula, but first there was something he wanted to ask the innkeeper.

"I've heard there's a town somewhere here on top of a mushroom," he said.

"You probably mean Telredor," the night elf answered. "It's a draenei town, a holy site of sorts. It's Alliance. The troll town Zabra'jin is built up around the mushroom trunks some, I've heard, but Telredor is right on top of one of the highest mushroom caps."

Galmak nodded his thanks and left the inn. She'd have to see it on her own then. He wished he could share her excitement as she returned to a place that had sparked such magical childhood memories, so odd she hadn't been sure if they were real or fantasy.

After her bath Hyara walked slowly back to the inn to wait for Galmak. Her hair was stubbornly refusing to dry in the humidity, but at least she didn't smell like a helboar anymore. She was concentrating on untangling a strand of hair as she walked in and ran head-on into a very large and solid shape coming out.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should watch where I'm going. Are you alright, miss?" The plate-clad stranger steadied her with a hand.

"I'm fine, I was the one not watching," Hyara answered, looking up to meet the eyes of a dark blue-haired draenei. She stiffened in surprise and felt her stomach sink. Maybe he wouldn't recognize her…

No such luck. "Wait… you look familiar… Winterspring!" He snapped his fingers. "It's… Hyara, right?" He smiled and held out his hand.

She smiled back in resignation. "And you're Dalthus." Oh, wonderful, the vindicator they'd run into a few years back. The one who'd seen her with Galmak and had been dying to start something with the orc. Hyara snuck a look behind her to make sure Galmak wasn't in sight, then continued into the inn. Dalthus followed her. When they were inside she stopped and turned so she was facing the door.

"It's a pleasure running into you again. I was always curious how you did in Winterspring; I have to admit I felt guilty leaving you there to fend for yourself," the paladin was saying.

Hyara smiled smoothly. "If you recall, I did tell you I'd be fine there. You had other plans."

He chuckled. "Yes, very independent. I trust you did have a safe time in Winterspring?"

Hyara's smile froze. "It was so long ago I hardly remember. But here I am."

Galmak walked in the door whistling. Hyara dropped a ring she'd been fiddling with and bent hastily to pick it up. Galmak noticed her now behind the huge paladin, and she caught his eye and made a face. "Go," she mouthed, motioning slightly toward Dalthus. The orc raised a questioning eyebrow but turned on his heel and started to walk back out of the inn. Unfortunately Dalthus decided to turn also. He saw Galmak and sniffed disdainfully at the orc's retreating back.

"I never stay here, I always stay in the inn at Telredor. If you're staying here I hope you'll reconsider, Hyara." He lowered his voice. "It might not be entirely safe."

She raised an eyebrow. "I am staying here. It seems perfectly safe to me. But how far is Telredor? Shouldn't you be traveling there? I don't want to keep you." She'd given Dalthus the benefit of the doubt years ago but she wasn't prepared to be so generous now. What a pompous git. He couldn't be more different from her vindicator brother; it was amazing they were in the same order. Hyara glanced again at the door and almost stamped her hoof in frustration as Galmak sidled back in. What in all hells was he doing? Dalthus had recognized her; he might recognize a familiar orc too, despite his prejudices. The two of them had spent several minutes in a hostile staring contest, after all. Galmak yawned deliberately and sat in a chair against the wall, behind Dalthus's back. He grinned at Hyara and made an elaborate rude gesture at the male draenei. Hyara wanted to throttle her husband for not taking the situation seriously, but at the same time she could barely contain her laughter and really wasn't paying any attention to what Dalthus was saying now. She struggled to keep her face polite and attentive, but the paladin must at last have seen something in her eyes because he finally turned. Galmak sat innocently in the chair. Dalthus glanced back to Hyara and his face darkened in anger.

"He was looking at you, wasn't he. That filthy…" The paladin strode over to Galmak, who jumped to his feet and shoved the chair out of the way. They stood for a few beats glaring at each other, Dalthus looking down contemptuously at the shorter orc. Hyara tugged at the paladin's arm.

"Dalthus," she said. "It's alright, please, don't start trouble here, the druids won't stand for it. They'll throw us all out." She shook her head minutely at Galmak and willed him to calm down and not provoke the draenei further.

"I would gladly tolerate being thrown out of here if it meant defending your honor, but I wouldn't want to bring that inconvenience on you also." Now he addressed Galmak in halting orcish. "Keep your filthy eyes off her, beast. You should know when your attention isn't appreciated."

"That's a lesson you could learn too," Galmak snarled.

"Alright, that's enough." Hyara wedged her hands between the two men and pushed them apart just as a Cenarion warden strolled in the door to take a look around. The three reflexively put up a casual façade as the warden glanced at them, then left again. "No one look funny at anyone else and everybody just mind their own business," she said helplessly.

But Dalthus was still looking funny at Galmak, and now for a different reason. "Wait… speaking of Winterspring, isn't this the same orc who was there too? Now that is an odd and unfortunate coincidence." A look of horror crossed his face. "Hyara, he hasn't been following you around, has he? Have you seen him other places too?"

"Umm… I don't… Seen him other places? I don't usually pay much attention to the Horde." She laughed nervously. "I don't recall that he's ever bothered me before."

Galmak wished for the millionth time that Hyara had decided to teach him draenei instead of the more practical Common. The tone the conversation was taking made it sound like this whole thing might be about to blow sky-high.

Dalthus crossed his arms and drummed his fingers against his plate armor. "I think the wardens should be told that they are harboring a potentially dangerous and particularly cowardly stalker. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you because I had been negligent in my duty, Hyara."

By all the naaru, this was not going well. "No, no, he's never done a thing, he never bothers me," she said desperately. "That is, uh… I've never even noticed him before so there's no way he could have bothered me…"

Dalthus looked at her sympathetically as if she were a child who simply couldn't understand what the adults were talking about. "Hyara my dear, this orc may not yet have summoned whatever shred of courage he might possess to actually harm you yet, but there are certain ways a man can look at a woman, and I cannot rest easy knowing that he may be getting away with following you around." He strode toward the door. Galmak was confused about the details of what was happening, but it was clear that Dalthus was off to cause trouble.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hyara screeched, her tail swaying in agitation. Dalthus turned with a resigned air, as if expecting to have to explain himself further. "Alright… there's something you don't understand," she said breathlessly. She beckoned him back. She hated to lie, especially about this, but… "Dalthus, I'm sort of traveling with him." The draenei opened his mouth to speak, but Hyara motioned for silence and he let her continue. "You remember he was acting as my guide in Winterspring? Well, um, I made him promise, swear his strongest oath, that he wouldn't hurt me and he wouldn't let me get hurt during that time. So everything was alright for a while, but then… uh, we ran into some trouble. There were lots of furbolgs. They hurt me, they almost killed me and maybe they would have eaten me." _Eaten me?_ She mentally smacked herself. But Dalthus was shaking his head disapprovingly at Galmak.

"He failed in his oath, I see," the paladin said.

"Exactly. We got away, but he hadn't upheld the bargain. Orcs take those sorts of things very seriously, you know." Dalthus nodded sagely and Hyara continued. "So… he swore another oath that he would stand by me from then on out and keep me safe." At least that was true. "And ever since then he hasn't been far away and he looks out for me."

"He's never acted inappropriately toward you? Never outside his station or otherwise above his position?"

"Nothing inappropriate whatsoever. He performs his duties exceptionally well and to my greatest satisfaction." Also true. She almost lost it there and bit her lip hard to keep a straight face.

Dalthus narrowed his eyes and now addressed Galmak. "Well, orc, it appears you have honorable motivations after all. You failed dear Hyara miserably when you nearly let those furbolgs eat her, but I do admire your determination to fulfill your oath and right the wrongs you did her."

As the paladin turned back to Hyara, Galmak gave her the craziest look she'd ever seen. _Let __furbolgs__ eat you?_ he mouthed.

"Knowing that you're safe, I can continue in good conscience to Telredor. I imagine that if he's been satisfactory for two years he will continue to please you." Hyara had to wonder if he was actually hearing himself. He took her hand and kissed it. "I hope very much that we meet again, Hyara."

As Dalthus disappeared out of the inn Hyara sunk with relief into a chair. Galmak sat next to her.

"Alright," she finally said, rubbing her knuckles against the faint ridges on her forehead. "I guess you have to know what I told him."

"I sure guess I do, I want to hear about these depraved, voracious furbolgs."

He laughed when she'd finished filling him in. "Looks like between the two of us we have some pretty pathetic stories to tell the world. You're a slave and I'm an oath-breaking stalker."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do… I didn't want to lie to him, but he was running off to get the wardens and have you thrown out. It would have caused such a commotion even if they didn't believe him."

"I know, love, you did fine. It's amazing that he swallowed that story whole though. You know what else is amazing? That he's in the same line of work as Gheris."

Hyara burst into laughter and leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "Let's go have a look around the Refuge."

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

It was a few days later before they ventured deeper into the marsh. Zangarmarsh's raised boardwalk paths were safe enough, but they only extended through the most traveled areas. Often the two hunters would follow a meandering path into a wilder area of the marsh only to find splintered, rotted boards before them marking an ominous end to the known and the safe. The marsh was beautiful, but its beauty could beguile the unwary traveler into a false sense of tranquility. There was viciousness here as well as beauty; everything was hungry, from the sodden ground that sucked at feet and hooves, to the towering, graceful fen striders that swayed on willowy legs through the marsh's channels and plucked their prey from the water to devour it whole. 

They were following one of the less distinct trails south through the bog when the misty wind carried a low, trumpeting snarl to their ears. Hyara and Galmak stopped abruptly and peered between the mushroom trunks to the side of the path. The sound echoed weirdly, dampened by the soft ground and the trunks, then died in a muffled thud. Fireflies and marsh lights drifted in a sudden breeze. Hyara dismounted and stepped cautiously off the path to get a better look at something glowing a faint blue between the trunks. She sprang back abruptly when she realized what it was. She motioned to Galmak, who dismounted and joined her.

"There's a sentry totem over there," she whispered. "See the glow?"

He nodded but stayed where he was out of the totem's line of sight. "Could you tell if it was Horde or Alliance?"

"Definitely not a draenei totem."

"Alright, maybe I should check it out. Whoever it is might need help." She nodded and he started to creep in the direction of the strange sound when they became aware of an approaching squelching noise. A brown-maned tauren stepped into view near the totem and recalled it back to dust with a casual wave of one huge hand. He looked straight at Galmak and roared, then charged forward. Hyara jumped in fear as Galmak shouted and ran to meet the tauren barreling at him. She had unslung her bow, fitted an arrow, and was trying to get a clear shot at the tauren before she realized that the two men were slapping each other on the back and grinning. Hyara lowered her bow in confusion, but relief was replacing her fear.

"By the Mother, it's good to see you, Galmak!" the tauren was saying. "Our paths haven't crossed in so long."

"Too long, old friend," Galmak grinned. They walked toward the path and now the tauren saw Hyara. He stopped.

"That's the draenei I saw through my totem." He fingered a mace casually.

Galmak glanced between the two of them and smiled. There was no doubt in his mind that they could share their secret with this shaman, one of his oldest friends and one of the wisest and most understanding people he knew. "Hyara, this is Chetvek. I've known him practically my whole life. He's as good a friend as they come. And, old friend, this is-" he broke off. More squelching noises approached, and an orc and a blood elf emerged from the mist between the trunks.

"That was some noise you made. I thought the whole point was to stay quiet out here," the orc said. He glanced at Galmak, then his eyes slid to Hyara. The blood elf was staring at her.

Hyara realized she was still holding her bow and that the smart thing to do would probably be to drop it and let Galmak talk this out, but she couldn't seem to let it slide out of her fingers while that blood elf still had his glaring green eyes fixed on her.

"This is my good friend Galmak," the tauren said. "He was just introducing me to this draenei." He turned a questioning look back to the hunter.

"Uh, right," Galmak said. He kicked at a dead mushroom stalk. "She's just a slave I picked up a while back in Ratchet. Her name's Hyara."

Chetvek frowned slightly. Galmak avoided his friend's eye and instead whistled to Palla, who came slinking from the other side of the path. Hyara turned away and strapped her bow back in place, trying to ignore the several sets of eyes on her.

"Amazing that you let your slave go around armed," the blood elf said.

"I trust her," Galmak answered gruffly. "She's proven her loyalty."

Chetvek cleared his throat in a deep rumble. "At any rate, this is Zarguhl." He gestured to the leather-clad orc. Hyara had never seen an orc like this one before. His skin was an earthy reddish brown, his hair a darker shade of the same color. He gave the impression somehow of being much bigger too, although side-by-side he looked barely taller than Galmak.

"I'm Pellien Longsun," the raven-haired blood elf said with a microscopic bow toward Galmak.

"What brings you out here?" Chetvek asked his friend.

"Not much in particular," Galmak replied. "Just exploring the marsh some. We- uh, I've never been here before. The Cenarion druids mentioned that they're still trying to make a clear record of a lot of the plants and animals out here and they're grateful for any observations I could bring back. How about yourself?"

Chetvek looked thoughtful for a moment. He glanced at his companions. Zarguhl shrugged and sat down against a mushroom, but Pellien glared and shook his head.

The tauren glared back. "My trust isn't good enough, mage?" he said to the blood elf. Then he addressed Galmak again. "Well, aside from running into that fen strider back there… It's probably nothing, really. There've been rumors at Zabra'jin of some strange things going on in the marsh lately. Stranger than normal, anyway. They asked us to come out here and take a look around." His eyes flickered to Hyara and back. "We're not sure, but the Alliance could be tied up in it somehow. There've been a few indications. We think some of the Lost One tribes may be involved too."

Galmak frowned. "Alliance and Lost Ones? That sounds strange for sure. There's no love lost between them on Azeroth."

The group of men walked back among the trunks to where the party's mounts were tied out of sight of the path. Hyara waited uneasily for them to return. Galmak apparently trusted the tauren, but the other two were unknown elements.

Chetvek patted his kodo and waited for Zarguhl and Pellien to move away to retrieve their mounts. "So you've taken a slave," he said quietly when the other men were out of earshot. "Galmak, I wouldn't have thought that of you. I didn't think that was your way."

"It's not," Galmak said. "I'm glad those two showed up before I said anything more they might have heard. I was going to tell you that Hyara's my wife. Not my slave."

The tauren smiled. "That sounds a good deal more like you. Then I'm happy for you, my friend."

As they rejoined Hyara on the path Galmak whispered, "I'd trust Chetvek with my life, we don't need to worry about him. He's with us." She nodded, then flashed Chetvek a quick smile. He grinned back and hauled himself up onto his kodo.

Hyara hung back so Galmak could ride next to his old friend. She found herself next to Zarguhl instead, and snuck another glance at the curious-looking orc. He caught her looking and grunted. "Never seen a Mag'har before?"

She was embarrassed. "A… I'm sorry, a what?"

He only grunted again.

The group picked their way carefully across the spongy ground. Occasionally they would cross a path or follow one for a time. Larger pools of water, some of them big as lakes, rippled in sight between the mushrooms. They seemed eerily still with only stray, wet breezes ruffling their surfaces into pebbled glass. Hyara became uneasy once she realized the direction they were heading. She calculated with a pang of disappointment that by now they would have passed Telredor, undoubtedly her city on a mushroom, and were making their way west. In all likelihood Chetvek was leading them to Zabra'jin. It looked as though her "slave plan" that Galmak so loathed would be put to the test in earnest soon.

Night was dropping around them like a cloak now, shadows slinking among the trunks and bringing the will-'o-the-wisps to flare more brightly and drift like watchful eyes. Still they continued, but now they joined with the path; the marsh was too dangerous to travel in the dark off the road. The sounds in the darkness around them began to take on a more frenzied tone, as if now was the time when most creatures came out to hunt and feed.

"Keep your eyes open," Chetvek warned. "The Feralfen Lost Ones live nearby. We're also near to a few naga colonies."

"Naga? Here?" Galmak asked sharply.

"They're sworn to the Betrayer. They followed him here from Azeroth years ago," the tauren answered grimly. "These are the things the marsh will reveal to you if you venture far. Ah friend, you came here unaware of the dangers," Chetvek sighed.

Galmak was beginning to think he was right. Yesterday he'd looked upon the marsh as a very welcome change from the demon-infested Peninsula, but now it was clear that this place held its own mélange of perils just as deadly as the searing hell to the east.

There was a sudden rumble overhead and rain began to fall in torrents. It lanced down between the mushrooms, it fell on the mushroom caps and flowed off the sides in sheets like water from a fountain. They were soon soaked and huddling under blankets and cloaks. Hyara looked down to see water churning beneath the boardwalk path, rushing to overflow the channels and saturate the ground. Poor Gink was plodding along miserably at her side sending droplets flying as he shook himself with nearly every step. Hyara peered anxiously down the path, hoping for a glimpse of torchlight or any sounds of civilization, but there was nothing to see or hear except the thundering sheets of water and the rising rapids beneath the path.

She leaned forward and shouted over the roar, "Does the path ever flood?"

Chetvek couldn't hear her; Zarguhl merely shrugged.

"I've never seen it like this," Pellien shouted from behind her. Not particularly comforting news.

Ahead a solid curtain of water blocked the road, pouring from the cap of an overhanging mushroom. Zarguhl extended one hand, and abruptly the curtain parted and sent sprays of water shooting to either side of the path. Hyara looked at him in surprise. _He's a shaman?_

Weak orange pinpricks of light blinked one by one through the rain. As the group approached the lights resolved into the myriad guttering torches of Zabra'jin and the mushroom-timber walls of the village emerged in the warm glow. As if finally relenting just as they were within reach of shelter, the rain slackened to a drizzle. Galmak pulled his timber wolf to a halt and motioned for the others to go by. Hyara stopped next to him.

He grimaced. "I'm going to have to take your weapons now before we get to the gates."

Hyara handed him her bow and let him unfasten her axes from her belt. "Can I keep the dagger? Can you tell it's there?" She patted her left side where she kept a tiny dagger sheathed beneath her tunic.

"Keep it. I hate this, hate leaving you defenseless."

She squeezed his hand. "Would you rather have me trying to get to Telredor or Orebor Harborage on my own tonight?" she asked gently.

When they reached the gates of Zabra'jin, Galmak was ready for the guards' challenge. Hyara kept her eyes lowered and her body slouched in the saddle as Galmak talked, trying to look dejected and blank. She thought wryly that it probably helped that she was soaked to the skin with her hair plastered around her face in a tangled mess. Gink had melted into the shadows for the night; he would stay nearby but it might raise questions to have him at her side. The guards let them through after only a cursory glance told them she was unarmed. Slaving was not as common as it used to be, but an orc with a single slave was hardly worth too much notice.

"Stick with me every second," Galmak said in a low voice as they dismounted and left their mounts with the stablemaster.

Hyara raised her eyebrows. "Uh huh. You don't really think I'd wander off on my own here." She hoisted one of his bags to her shoulder along with her own. He tried to take it but she shook her head. "You're going to have to let me do a little more work here or this isn't going to be as believable."

"Hyara… no one in their right mind is going to believe I own you so you can carry my bags and wash my clothes."

"Well, of course not; I realize that. But just assuming for one second that you did actually own me for _other_ reasons, wouldn't it be nice if I also carried your bags and washed your clothes?"

Galmak snorted and they started toward the inn only to run into Chetvek.

"Ah, here you are," he said. "I have a small piece of bad news, I'm afraid. The inn is extremely full because of the weather. There was only one room left. On a better note, though, I managed to talk the innkeeper into letting us all share the one room if we'd like. Pellien wasn't very happy about that, but it's that or sleep in the mud."

Galmak and Hyara nodded together. A warm, dry room sounded wonderful, bed or no bed.

The inn was crowded wall to wall with travelers, villagers, and off-duty guards. People were lounging on cushions and chairs, drinking, talking, laughing about the freak storm that had soaked everyone and brought them fleeing here for shelter and camaraderie. Hyara kept her eyes downcast and followed Galmak closely, but nevertheless she could sense the eyes that turned to her, the slight hushes in conversation and laughter that followed her across the room. Her cheeks burned at a few of the snatches of comments that reached her ears. She disappeared inside the room with relief.

It was a small room, not big enough for five to fit comfortably, but perfectly adequate for a ragtag bunch of soaked and weary travelers who just wanted a dry place to spend the night. The upper halves of the walls were an open lattice of woven reeds, allowing air to circulate while the deep overhanging roof kept out the rain. Hyara peeled off her mail tunic and fanned her damp shirt away from her body, wishing she could take it off too. Galmak was doing the same, but he had the advantage of being able to strip off his shirt. She made a face at him.

"Maybe I shouldn't be so modest," she said in a low voice.

"Oooh, no, I don't think so. If it were just Chetvek I'd say go for it, but I don't know about these other two," he whispered. He got to his feet. "Let's go out to the fire."

"There's no way I'm going to sit out there with all those people looking at me. Did you hear them on the way in?"

Galmak frowned. "I tried not to. But I'm talking about the covered fire out in front of the inn. Come on, you can hide in the dark."

She sighed but got up and steeled herself to walk the gauntlet again. Chetvek followed them outside to a campfire set a short distance from the inn. There was a cover stretched over it to shelter it and anyone sitting near it from the marsh's endless misty drizzle. Somewhere the lilt of reeds wavered then swelled, joined by drums. The village was coming back to life after the rainstorm.

Hyara stood near the fire, warming her front and back by turns to allow her clothing to dry. The thin cloth leggings she'd stripped down to were just as soaked as her shirt. Uncomfortable as she was, however, the marsh had been hardest on her mail armor; she could only hope it wouldn't all be rusted through by the time they decided to leave this place. Galmak and Chetvek were talking quietly about old times and old acquaintances. Feeling a little dryer now, she sat next to her husband and held her hands out to the fire.

"Chetvek," Hyara said into a lull in their talk. "Zarguhl said he's a Mag'har. What does that mean?"

"Ah," the tauren nodded. "Yes… I'm surprised you got that much out of him. He's a very closemouthed fellow. The Mag'har are the last of the old orcs, the only remaining clan untouched by the Legion's demonic taint. Well… they're not really a clan in the traditional sense; more like an amalgamation of all the orcs who rejected the call of the Legion. They've survived all these years in Outland."

Hyara looked at Galmak. He was staring into the fire with furrowed brow. "They're what you wanted to find," she said softly and squeezed his hand.

"I had no idea," the orc finally said. "I didn't know there were any who didn't go through the Portal and managed to avoid corruption. Orcs who had no part in the blood-lust…" It made his own perceived guilt seem all the more atrocious.

"Their ways are very different," Chetvek continued. "Their brand of shamanism is remarkable. I ran into Zarguhl quite some time ago and managed to convince him to teach me some of the Mag'har practices. I would call him a friend by now, but he would likely just grunt and shrug."

"And the blood elf?" Galmak asked.

Chetvek crossed his arms. "That one I don't know so well. He's more a companion by happenstance. He's a bit aloof… he may not think very highly of me or Zarguhl, I suppose," the shaman mused.

Galmak shook his head and grinned at his friend's philosophical attitude toward the blood elf's dislike.

As if mentioning him had been a summons, Pellien appeared at the door of the inn and trudged over to join the group at the fire.

"Zarguhl is snoring again," he said with distaste. "I can't remember the last time I slept through a night without that wretched lout waking me up."

"Hmm," Chetvek said thoughtfully. "It was probably four nights ago when we didn't have to share a room at the Cenarion Refuge."

Pellien threw the oblivious tauren a nasty look and sat on a mushroom stump to Hyara's left.

"Well," the mage said. "What sort of scintillating conversation do we have out here?"

Chetvek sighed. "Pellien, if you're in a bad mood please go away."

Hyara stifled a laugh. She caught Galmak's eye and could tell he was holding back a grin.

But the blood elf gave a sigh of his own. "I apologize. Fire mages get a little out of sorts after weeks of nothing but dampness and humidity and sogginess and generally being soaked to the bone, if you know what I mean."

They sat in silence for a few moments until Hyara yawned. Galmak looked at her questioningly. She nodded and they both rose. "I think we'll be getting some sleep now," Galmak said and clapped Chetvek on the shoulder.

"You can poke Zarguhl if it gets unbearable," Chetvek said. "He'll usually shut up for a good half hour if you jab him in the ribs."

"Just a moment," Pellien said. His eyes glittered in the firelight. "Forgive me, but there's something I'm curious about. I was always under the impression that masters branded their slaves. Did you brand her, Galmak?"

The sudden tension in her husband was palpable, and Hyara willed him not to say or do anything rash. What to do… well, what else to do. She lifted the right side of her shirt, revealing a long scar that gashed down her side from her lower ribs and curved slightly inward over her abdomen.

"I wouldn't have this if it weren't for him," she said. She wouldn't have any of the rest of herself either if it weren't for Galmak, but Pellien didn't need to know that.

"Ah," the blood elf said and frowned, clearly thrown off-balance. Hyara adjusted her assessment of him slightly; he was obviously disturbed by the brutality that the scar implied, and by what it implied about how her "master" had acquired her. Hyara turned once more to leave. Poor Galmak. He looked like he wanted to be sick.

"Well… good thinking, I guess," he whispered resignedly.

"I love you," she whispered back, and he smiled.

They were halfway to the inn when a scream cut through the heavy night air. Another followed, then something buzzed past Hyara's ear and made her drop heavily to the ground. She reached out frantically to pull Galmak down but he was already sprawled next to her in the mud and searching for her hand. Over at the fire Chetvek and Pellien too were crouched low. Several more arrows whizzed overhead. There was shouting to the north beyond the village walls, more screams, and the sound of weapons clashing. Guards streamed out of the inn and sprinted from their posts elsewhere in the village, all heading to the north wall in response to shouted orders. Some of the town's adventurers were also rushing to join whatever was going on.

Galmak growled. "I should go help."

"You're not going over there without a shirt or armor or even weapons."

Chetvek had no such reservations though; the tauren leapt up and sprinted off into the darkness.

"Chetvek!" Galmak roared. He looked helplessly from his friend to his wife, then pulled Hyara up and dragged her by the hand over to where Pellien still crouched by the fire.

"Stay here, I'll be back in a minute," the orc said to Hyara, then to Pellien, "Keep her safe, don't let her out of your sight and don't let anyone give her trouble!"

"What- I-" The blood elf started to protest, but Galmak was already gone.

"You don't have weapons!" Hyara screamed in frustration. She whirled on Pellien, started to speak, but there was no time… he could follow or not. She sprinted off to the inn. Pellien jumped up cursing, but she ignored him.

The inn's common room, so crowded and lively only minutes before, was now all but deserted. Hyara entered at a dead run and practically kicked down the door to the party's tiny room. She dropped to her knees at Galmak's pack, fumbling for his axes, his bow, and whatever arrows she could grab.

"What the fuck is going on?" Zarguhl growled groggily.

"There's an attack on the village; north wall," she yelled over her shoulder as she blew back out the door- and crashed headlong into Pellien. The blood elf looked furious.

"He told you to stay there, are you in the habit of disobeying him?" he fumed.

Hyara barely heard him; she was already running into the night. Pellien threw a helpless look at Zarguhl and dashed after her again. The shaman was wide awake now and grabbing for his maces before he too bolted out the door.

Hyara peered through the darkness at the wall. "Galmak!" she shouted. Everywhere defenders where scuffling and shouting, bathed in the orange light of the village's torches, illuminated in sudden blinding flickers of spellcasts, or struggling in the shadows where the lights had been kicked over and trampled in the mud. There was a ragged hole in the log wall, not large, but a breach that some of the attackers had managed to force their way through. A troll gave a wild, ululating cry and slammed a body against the wall, driving her sword through gut and bone. The cruel, staring eyes of a Lost One met Hyara's for a heartbeat; then the troll ripped the sword out in a spray of cobalt blood and the nightmarish, desiccated parody of a thing that had once been a draenei slumped to the ground.

_Where is he…_ Occasional arrows flew through the chinks in the log wall and she held Galmak's axes broadside in front of her body on the chance they might deflect anything coming at her. There were several tauren struggling in the writhing mass of attackers and defenders but none of them Chetvek. _He wouldn't dare have gone outside._ She wanted to scream in frustration at the thought; that fool man had run over here half naked and he thought he could do something heroic?

A powerful grip closed on her arm and instinctively she whirled, sending an axe slicing toward her assailant. It clanged against metal with force enough to jar her and would have sent her reeling if not for the hand still gripping her arm.

"Easy," Zarguhl said. "You shouldn't be out here." Pellien stood behind him, his hands motioning runes in the air as he wove the energy of a spell.

"The hell I shouldn't!" Hyara yanked her arm out of his grip and bolted for the gap in the wall. A Lost One melted from the shadows as she stepped through and she glimpsed a blade dripping sickly green with poison before a fireball blasted the creature to a blackened cinder that flaked and dissolved in the damp breeze.

She looked down the line to her right… and there was Chetvek's towering, long-horned bulk, roaring with rage, swinging mismatched shortswords. Hyara plunged toward him frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of Galmak somewhere nearby. There was a sudden snarl and Gink streaked out of the darkness, drawn by her agitation and danger. She lashed out at any attackers in her way, but her skill was poor in close combat and most of the Lost Ones fell to Zarguhl or Pellien. The line surged away for a moment and there Galmak was with Palla at his side, backed against the wall, a Lost One pressing in with daggers flashing. Galmak was fending the thing off with a sword, his eyes burning red with blood fury. _He's terrible with swords, he should have picked up something else_, Hyara thought absurdly as she raised Galmak's bow and put an arrow through the attacker's neck. Galmak caught sight of her now and the red glow died as fear flashed through his eyes, followed closely by anger.

"Get out of here!" he roared. "I thought I told you to keep her safe!" He jabbed the sword toward Pellien, who didn't spare a glance away from his casting.

She shoved the axes into his hands. "You stubborn, idiotic, pig-headed, foolish man!" Arrow after arrow flew from her bow. Out of the corner of her eye she looked him over, praying his injuries weren't serious. He had a few gashes with blood trickling down his bare back, but she couldn't see anything badly wrong. She said a prayer of thanks to the Light for one of Chetvek's nearby totems, pulsing with healing magic. Hyara's arrows flew until her meager supply ran out, then she grabbed the sword Galmak had dropped and did what she could at close quarters. The Lost Ones fought with a terrible ferocity. _Where did they all come from? _Hyara wondered. She didn't know the ways of the marsh, but it was obvious that an attack like this could not be a common occurrence; the village had been too slow to respond in any kind of concerted defense and the Lost Ones had breached the wall too easily. Slowly though, they were being pushed back. More defenders had broken outside the walls and now there was a distinct line of combat outside. Screams of pain died in the darkness, the clash of metal and the bursts of spells grew less frequent.

Cries began to drift outside the village and were taken up inside the walls. "They're running!" "They're going, it's over!" Hyara slumped to the ground, tail twitching with her exhaustion, and Galmak sat heavily beside her. He was breathing hard, and…_ Shit_. There was an arrow buried deep in his thigh. She placed her hands on his leg and her Gift of the Naaru shimmered around him, doing little but at least easing some of the pain. He grunted as she lifted his leg slightly and found what she'd feared; the arrow had gone so deep that the head was protruding slightly from the back of his leg.

"At least it wasn't you," he said, and she glared at him.

"I don't know what you were thinking," she bit out. "That was the most foolish thing you've ever done."

Chetvek knelt to Galmak's other side. "Oh… oh dear. Well, we'll sort it out," the tauren nodded.

Hyara gaped. "We'll sort it out? _We'll sort it out?_" She couldn't remember ever being so furious. "He followed you! You were the first idiot and everybody else had to follow you!" Dammit, she was so angry she was crying. She jabbed a finger at Galmak. "I am not going to lose you now after everything to a lack of common sense!"

Zarguhl elbowed her gently aside and ripped open Galmak's pants leg. "Let's get that arrow out." Galmak knew what was going to come next and he braced himself as best he could. Hyara gripped his hand. The Mag'har seized the arrow and gave it a sharp push to drive the head out the back of Galmak's leg, pulled out a knife and cut the head off, then yanked out the shaft in one swift, fluid motion. "Best to do things fast," the brown orc said wryly. Hyara stroked her husband's face and looked into his pain-glazed eyes. He'd barely made a sound through it all. Chetvek had a cloth ready to staunch the blood now pouring freely from the wound, and Zarguhl sent waves of healing magic into Galmak's leg. Slowly the flow of blood dwindled and the hole began to knit closed. Once it was clear that his friend was no longer in danger Chetvek moved off to find others in the darkness who needed healing. Zarguhl left to join him now. Galmak started to push himself up, but Hyara put a hand on his chest. She just looked at him, her anger spent. He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"I'm sorry," he said.

She kissed him back fiercely, nipping at his lips and darting her tongue over his fangs. "I know you are. Promise me you'll never do anything stupid again."

He laughed. "I won't promise that. But I will promise that I'll check this kind of stupid thing off my list and consider it done and accounted for."

"Good enough." She smiled and wiped her tears on a sleeve.

He examined his leg. "It's not so bad, anyway.'

"Pshh. It was bad. I know because it happened to me once during my training days. It wasn't as bad as this but it still hurt plenty."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really. You never told me that. And it didn't leave a scar either."

Hyara smiled. "They took care of it quickly. I got all sorts of abject apologies from the person who did it. He was a friend and he felt horrible. Really though, I think he and our instructor were secretly rather pleased. At that point in our training most of us could barely manage to make an arrow travel forty feet, let alone make it travel forty feet and punch into someone's leg."

Galmak narrowed his eyes. "I don't suppose this person might have been a certain someone you once told me about from your years in training."

"Umm… what?" She looked uncomfortable.

"Hah! So let me get this straight… he shot you in the leg and then you slept with him?"

"Galmak!" she said, affronted. "Don't tell me you're jealous now! It was years and years and years ago, and I told you I've never even seen him since then! It might as well not even have happened, believe me. Besides, it didn't happen in that order."

He roared with laughter. "Gods, you slept with him and then he shot you? Do I or do I not want to hear that story…"

"Well, you're not going to hear it, regardless. Because there's no story. And besides, this isn't fair. I've never asked you about any of your past… mistakes."

He grinned and kissed her.

Abruptly it occurred to her that they shouldn't have been alone right now. "Wait… Where's Pellien?"

Galmak growled. "Probably ran off, just like he did after I told him not to let you go anywhere."

"No." She shook her head. "I was the one who ran off, he tried to keep me there. Did you really think he'd be able to stop me from going after you? If he was going to run off he had plenty of opportunities, but he stuck around and backed me up with Zarguhl when I came looking for you. Maybe he went with Chetvek to help out."

"He'll turn up." Galmak grunted and stood gingerly. Hyara pulled his arm over her shoulder and helped him back inside the village wall.

* * *

Shadow Hunter Denjai was livid. Zabra'jin had lost fourteen good men and women to those vicious, snake-hexed Lost Ones that night; dozens more had been wounded. The attackers had been using poisoned blades, a fact which pinned blame firmly on the Daggerfen. Apparently the tribe was no longer content to pick off the occasional scout or courier and was now declaring all-out war on the village. Denjai glared northward into the darkness. As long as he could get backup from Swamprat Post, those Lost Ones would rue this day. 

The rope bridge swayed under his feet and he turned to see an aide approaching.

"Sir…" the aide said hesitantly in Zandali, wary of the murderous gleam in his commander's eyes.

"Out with it!" Denjai snapped. He didn't have time for skittish whelps.

"We've just had a runner come in with a report from our scouts in the Hewn Bog. The Daggerfen also paid a visit to Orebor Harborage tonight."

Ah… either rumors of Alliance cooperation with the Lost Ones were incorrect, or this was a ruse engineered to make the Horde think so.

"The scouts are saying it looked like bad carnage there too, maybe even worse since they're closer to Daggerfen Village," the aide continued.

Denjai grimaced and waved the aide off, who saluted and scurried back down the bridge. The commander rubbed a tusk thoughtfully. The Daggerfen must be insane as well as deceitful and vicious if they thought it was good strategy to simultaneously anger two separate enemies. He'd wager he had a counterpart at Orebor Harborage contemplating bloody revenge right now just as he was, and Denjai would eat his left arm if the Horde and the Alliance didn't both decide to dish up some justice for those cursed monstrosities.

* * *

Where before the village had seemed lively and cheerful after the rain, gloom and exhaustion now hovered everywhere like the mist. Tired though everyone was, Zabra'jin's soldiers were restructuring watches in case of a second attack. There were also the dead and wounded to tend to. Wailing voices rose and fell in the night, a lament for those who had entered the realm of spirits. Hyara shuddered as she helped Galmak lie down on their bedroll in the inn and wished she could shake the eerie song from her head. She'd come too close to raising her own voice with the mourners tonight. 

She dipped a cloth in a bowl of cool water and began cleaning the blood off Galmak's leg.

"Tell me if I hurt you," she said.

"You're not going to hurt me, it's nearly healed."

Hyara suppressed a sigh a few minutes later when Chetvek and Zarguhl came in and flopped wearily on their bedrolls. She'd hoped for a little more time alone with her husband. She wished… well. There was no use worrying about that; they'd get their chances.

"Too many dead," Chetvek shook his head. "If only it hadn't been raining… we might have seen them coming. Such a senseless attack."

Zarguhl's eyes were already drooping shut again but he mumbled something.

"What's that, friend?" Chetvek asked.

"I said, where did that little mage rat get off to?"

They all looked at each other, then at the room's single small -and empty- bed. Pellien's pack lay on the floor beside it.

"He didn't stay with you two?" Chetvek raised his shaggy eyebrows at Galmak.

"We thought he'd followed you," the orc answered.

"Come to think on it, I don't remember seeing him when we were getting the arrow out of you," Chetvek mused.

"He fought next to me the whole battle," Zarguhl yawned.

"Well… that is a bit troubling. Maybe I should go look around? I'll go ask after him some." Chetvek rose wearily and left. Zarguhl's snores began sawing holes in the floor almost immediately. Hyara lay down next to Galmak and settled into the crook of his arm with her head on his shoulder, careful not to jab him with her horns.

"He can't have been among the dead," she whispered. "Chetvek said the three of them were sent out from here together..."

"Right, so whoever is in charge would know to tell Chetvek if he'd been found dead. Don't worry about it till Chetvek's learned what he can, love. Just get some rest for now."

"Easier said than done." She eyed Zarguhl across the room. "Maybe I should try poking him?"

Galmak snorted. "I wouldn't. I'd be curious to know if Chetvek's ever actually tried that. He is still alive, after all."

Hyara hooked a leg over Galmak's uninjured leg and snuggled closer to him. She closed her eyes believing she'd never sleep with all the racket, but her mind wafted into warm and welcome darkness.

* * *

"Nothing. Nobody's seen him." 

Hyara and Galmak started awake together. Zarguhl grunted and punched his pillow.

"Oh… sorry." Chetvek looked sheepish. "No one seems to know anything about a dark-haired blood elf mage wearing purplish-red robes. Of course they weren't really purplish-red by now; maybe I should have said he was very muddy."

"That goes without saying. Shut up and sleep and we'll find him in the morning." Zarguhl rolled toward the wall.

Chetvek sighed and looked at Galmak. "I'm going to fall over if I don't lie down."

"There's no good in searching in the dark while we're all half asleep. Zarguhl's right, Vek; we'll find him tomorrow if he doesn't wander in on his own."

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

D'oh... is anyone still reading?

_

* * *

_

Hyara… She was far from him at the other end of a long, torchlit corridor. Felguards, hundreds of them, closed in around her and she lashed out desperately with only her tiny dagger. Galmak strained furiously to run to her but his legs were stuck in mud that sucked at his feet with every step. He saw her fall, saw the gush of blood spread toward him and flow like a tide down the hall. Raizha stood at his side. _"See? She's dead, you don't need her anymore,"_ the demoness laughed.

Galmak struggled to consciousness panting in a slick film of sweat. His eyes jerked open. Hyara lay peacefully at his side with his arm still enclosing her. He kissed her softly on the forehead, brushing his lips against the faint ridged pattern there. He lay for a few more moments with her in his arms, willing his heart to slow its pounding. Then slowly, carefully he extricated himself, covered her with the blanket, and stepped from the inn into the charcoal velvet of predawn.

There were very few people about. Anyone who was able still slept after last night's tumult. An ancient grey-haired troll crossed the yard in front of the inn and nodded a silent greeting, a net writhing with silver fish slung over his shoulder. The only other signs of movement came from the guards standing at nervous attention by the gates or pacing the wooden bridges that swayed gently between the mushroom watchtowers. He went off in search of Palla and found her sleeping in the stables. He smiled when he realized that the soft, whistling snores he heard were coming from Gink, who was curled into a tight ball in the hay like an oversized housecat.

Palla yawned as he approached and snapped her teeth together. _You were lucky last night._

He sighed. _Alright, I was stupid. I saw Chetvek bolt off and I couldn't let him go out there on his own. I thought I could bring him back in._

_Gink would've killed you, you know, if she'd gotten killed._

_I'll never make that mistake again. I don't know why I thought she'd stay away._

_Galmak, you already know she would do anything to keep you safe. Or failing that, to get you to safety._

He did know that all too well. Why hadn't he learned yet that she was only as safe as he was? Palla shook wisps of hay from her fur and followed him out of the stables.

_Did you find out anything last night that I don't know about? _he asked.

_Not really. They must have come in under cover of the rain. They left their dead here and they left several dead in the marsh not far away when they ran._

He stretched and yawned. A slight stiffness in his thigh muscles was all that told him he'd had an arrow through his leg the night before. _Have you seen anything of Pellien?_

_The mage… no. He was fighting outside the wall with the rest of you._ She sent him a look that only he would recognize as questioning. He nodded and the wolf sprinted north and disappeared outside the wall. She was back only a few minutes later, confirming what he'd feared.

_I caught his scent mixed in with the Lost Ones' trail, heading north._

Damn. _Alive?_

_Definitely, yes. Alive for as long as I followed the trail, at least._

Well, that solved the mystery… or at least part of it. He patted Palla and headed back to the inn. It was time to tell Chetvek the bad news about his erstwhile traveling companion.

"Vek," the orc said. He nudged his sleeping friend with a toe. Chetvek snorted and tossed his head side to side, making Galmak jump back to avoid the flailing horns. The tauren blinked and pushed himself up groggily.

"Whassat," Chetvek yawned tremendously. Nearby, Zarguhl's snores had broken off and the Mag'har was swiping a hand across his face to clear the sleep from his eyes.

"Apparently Pellien either got carted off by the Lost Ones or he left with them of his own accord," Galmak said.

"Oh…" Chetvek yawned again. "Why would he leave with them? I don't see a blood elf getting along with Lost Ones."

"I don't think it's likely either, but Palla couldn't tell how he left, only that he was alive when he did."

"We've got to find him then," Hyara said from across the room.

Zarguhl snorted. "If he was stupid enough to get himself captured we may as well leave him."

"He fought just as well as you did," Hyara said mildly.

Chetvek traced a knothole in the floor with one thick finger. "We do have to find him. I do, anyway; I was responsible for him being out there in the first place and I was put in charge of our little team to discover what was going on. Obviously we failed at that," he sighed. "You can go or stay, Zarguhl. And of course the two of you don't have any obligation to come along."

"I owe him for covering me when I would have gotten killed otherwise," Hyara said. "He stood by me when he could easily have done nothing."

Galmak glanced at her. "I agree; we can't just leave him."

"Well, fuck," Zarguhl grunted. "Chetvek goes, I go."

They all grinned and set about packing up.

* * *

Denjai was very sorry, but Zabra'jin simply could not spare the manpower right now necessary to hunt down one lost mage. They were trying to organize an offensive that, spirits willing, would launch in two days' time with a firm, clear message for the Lost Ones. Besides, the Daggerfen had never taken live prisoners before; what made this group so sure their friend would still be around to appreciate a rescue? No, there was no way. He was terribly sorry. He didn't like abandoning a member of the Horde to the tender mercies of a demon-twisted race, but the party was on their own if they wanted to do something about it. Luck be with them.

Galmak grimaced at the memory of that conversation. If Pellien had had no friends to even realize he was missing the blood elf would have disappeared without a trace or a care. Still, no sense dwelling on that; they were on their way north and now they needed a plan.

"Have either of you ever been to Daggerfen Village?" Galmak asked his friend and the Mag'har.

Chetvek shook his head. "We've been close, but never right up to it. The Daggerfen are particularly dangerous and Zabra'jin has always warned travelers not to go too near. They spent so many years quietly killing scouts that got in their way… odd now that they'd launch a head-on attack. On the Horde _and_ the Alliance, no less."

"That's just like the Lost Ones, though," Zarguhl said. "Vicious and stupid."

A well-traveled path extended north from Zabra'jin for half their journey and they reached the Hewn Bog just past mid-day. Here they would have to leave the safety of the path and strike out to the northwest. They hoped to come within striking distance of the village by nightfall, when they could assess their options and try to find any signs of Pellien, alive or dead.

The Hewn Bog lived up to its name, although it seemed to be recovering from past injuries. Years ago ogres had blundered into the area and felled many of the gigantic mushrooms, leaving only ugly dead stumps and damaging countless plants and animals dependent on the fungi. Constant harrying from Orebor Harborage and Zabra'jin had eventually succeeded in driving the ogres away, but the damage had been done and now the marsh still struggled to regain its equilibrium. The sun beat down with more intensity where there were no sheltering mushroom caps, making the channels and the soggy ground steam. The group moved cautiously for fear of the Alliance scouts that often watched the marsh so near to their outpost at the Harborage. All seemed quiet though; the Alliance, like the Horde, had been hit hard the night before and most likely they were regrouping and planning their own counterattack.

The afternoon wore on. The milky, nether-stained blue sky deepened to plum and the energy flashed more intensely in the gathering darkness. Weak lights began to glimmer to life near the horizon. As if by silent agreement the party dismounted and now picked their way cautiously forward on foot. The Daggerfen would be fools not to have their own scouts out and given the tribe's skill in secrecy and stealth, the group wouldn't necessarily have any warning if they were spotted.

"It's too bad we don't have a rogue with us," Chetvek whispered.

"We do… of a sort," Hyara whispered back. She held up a hand and the group halted. Silently she called to Gink and the big cat came bounding from the darkness on paws light as air. Hyara knelt in front of him with her forehead pressed to his muzzle and whispered a soft command.

"Gather around me," she whispered. The two shamans were puzzled but Galmak understood. He pulled them in until Hyara knelt at the center of a tight circle with Gink, screened from any eyes that might be watching from the darkness. Green light sprang up around her hands, illuminating her face with the soft radiance of a spring day filtered through new leaves. She whispered another command to Gink, then closed her eyes. The cat slipped out of the circle and padded away to be lost in the darkness. Hyara knelt for several minutes with the green glow suffusing her face and flickering faintly around the inside of the circle. Then something nudged Galmak's leg and he looked down to see Gink fade back to visibility. The green light died from Hyara's hands and she looked up.

"He found Pellien," she said. Relieved sounds traveled through the men standing around her. "They're holding him in a small hut due west of us on the edge of the village. There's plenty of activity in some areas but it didn't look like there were very many guards at the hut. They have scouts out, but if we swing south we stand a chance of not running into them. Gink and Palla will scout ahead for us and find them first." As Galmak helped her rise he leaned in and kissed her.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to stay hidden somewhere safe with the mounts," he whispered.

She hissed in annoyance and swung her tail in a gentle thump to his rear. "Of course not. Haven't you learned your lesson yet? I go where you go. And I'm just as qualified for this as you are."

He caught her tail in one hand and ran his fingers down it caressingly, then tugged it and brought her into his arms. "I know you are. Don't blame me for worrying."

She kissed him in a way that suddenly made his pants seem too tight and he growled with frustration.

Hyara sighed in understanding. "I know… I wish that too, love." Her whisper tickled his ear and made him want to toss her down on the ground right here, but he managed to hold onto rational thought. That damn mage had better be grateful for all this. She took his hand and they moved off to follow Chetvek and Zarguhl where they'd disappeared behind a thick mushroom stump.

_You can go a while yet before you have to dismount_, Gink cut into Hyara's less-than-clean thoughts.

They traveled another quarter of an hour on their mounts, moving cautiously at first for fear of running into Daggerfen scouts. But they met with no trouble, and as the shamans began to trust Gink and Palla's directions they quickened their pace. When at last they had to stop and continue on foot the village's huts were visible ahead, dark silhouettes against the flickering sky. A few torches set on long wooden poles burned here and there among the buildings, casting liquid-fire reflections in the pools throughout the village. The largest huts were raised on stilts above the marsh's soggy ground, but many of the smaller ones were right on the ground and looked like temporary structures that could be moved in times of high water. Hyara squinted into the darkness, trying to match what she saw now with what Gink's eyes had shown her. She pointed to a hut ahead and left of the group, just visible through the dark and the mushroom trunks. A torch guttered in front of it and a Lost One fidgeted in the flickering light.

_Do you see the stump west of you about fifty paces with the small bush growing to the right of it? _Gink asked suddenly.

_Yes._

_Aim about four feet from the ground barely to the left of the stump. Hurry._

Many years of training and practice brought her bow to her hands in a few silent seconds. The others froze in understanding. She let fly the arrow and with a wet _thunk_ it came to a sudden halt in the air by the stump. The body of a Lost One materialized and slid slowly to the ground.

_Palla and I are scouting a perimeter around you. It's safe to move closer now._

Hyara and Galmak both nodded at once and motioned toward the village. Galmak reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"They'd kill us if they saw us, love," he whispered. "They killed a lot of people at Zabra'jin for no good reason."

"I know…" They had once been draenei. They were revolting, twisted monsters now, but they had once been her people and she didn't have to like killing them.

There were no further warnings from Gink or Palla and the group moved up close behind the small hide-walled hut. From here the village seemed unnaturally still. Where were the preparations for an attack the tribe surely knew would come? Even the Lost Ones couldn't be stupid enough to believe that the Horde and the Alliance wouldn't retaliate. And yet all was quiet. The hut's single guard scratched idly in the dirt and muttered to himself.

Chetvek pulled the group in close. "We can cut through the back of the hut if we take the guard out first," he breathed. "Hyara, can you repeat what you did a few minutes ago?"

"I'll do it," Galmak said. He unslung his bow, but Hyara already had hers raised. Her face was set in hard lines as the arrow flew and the guard slumped silently forward.

Chetvek nodded and produced a small knife. "Here's hoping there's no guard inside," he said, and stabbed the knife through the hide wall. There was a faint noise inside, but no one rushed out to confront them and no alarm was raised. The tauren cut slowly and as silently as possible and after a few moments he'd made a hole large enough that Pellien would be able to crawl out of… assuming he was still inside. Chetvek tried to poke his head through to look but his long horns stopped him from getting far.

"Pellien?" he whispered into the darkness inside.

"Good of you to come after me," came the blood elf's voice.

Chetvek sighed in relief. "Well… can you get out?"

"If only I could… I'm tied."

Chetvek grunted and pulled his long muzzle out of the hole. "He's tied up in there, he can't get out on his own."

Hyara dropped to the ground and wriggled through; she was the only one of them who would fit. The interior of the hut was darker than the outdoors, but some light from the torch out front filtered through the seams and Hyara's wide eyes soon adjusted. Pellien sat against one wall, his hands tied over his head to a rope hanging down from the wood-beamed ceiling. Hyara pulled her dagger from its sheath and started sawing through the ropes.

"Well I'll be damned," said a voice behind her. She jumped and spun around. A small shape sat against the opposite wall, so small she'd mistaken it for a pile of blankets or a bulky bag. She saw now that the hands were tied as Pellien's were, but the rope down from the ceiling was much longer…

_Good Light_. "Split?" she asked hesitantly.

"That's me," the gnome said. "Hello again, Hyara."

"What are you doing here?" She sawed faster at Pellien's ropes, then moved across the tent and started to cut the gnome free.

"Oh gods," Pellien said, rubbing his wrists. "Don't let him lose. I've had all I can take."

"What I _was_ doing here is spying on these filth-bags," the gnome answered. "You would not believe whose bed they've jumped into." Split slid nimbly out the hole in the tent and Hyara heard a stifled yelp outside. She wriggled out after him. Chetvek had the rogue by the back of his shirt and was glaring at the now-dangling gnome.

"What exactly is this?" Chetvek said.

"He's… er, he's a friend," Hyara answered. "His name's Split."

Split was craning his neck as if looking for something, and his eyes fell on Galmak. "There!" He pointed, then looked at Hyara. "There's your orc. He knows me too, dontcha, orc?"

Hyara cringed. _Gods, he_ did _know then, all along_.

Galmak peered at the gnome. "Oh. It's that rogue from the caravan in Hellfire, yeah."

"If you tell your cow to put me down I can tell you what's going on around here." Split swung his stubby legs.

"The 'cow' speaks Common; ask him yourself," Chetvek said.

"Oh, sorry… Okay, can you put me down now?"

The tauren opened his hand and the gnome plunked to the ground.

"If you're all done making noise, we might want to get the hell away from here before someone finds us," Zarguhl said. They crept after the Mag'har back toward where they'd left their mounts. Split faded into the darkness and Hyara wondered if they'd see him again, but a few minutes later he appeared up ahead. He was bending over the corpse of a Lost One, wiping his daggers.

"Bastards kept me tied up in there for three days." He spit on the body.

"What's this about something going on around here?" Galmak muttered to Pellien. "Is there something beyond a bunch of Lost Ones making idiotic moves against stronger enemies?"

The mage rolled his green eyes. "He'll tell you. Believe me, he'll tell you. I had to hear all about it. It seems very unlikely to me, but I suppose it might be worth looking into." Pellien gave Galmak a sidelong glance. "Hyara isn't really your slave, is she?"

Galmak grimaced. There was really no point in denying it anymore; Zarguhl would have to be pretty dense not to have figured it out by now too. "No," he said simply.

They reached the mounts and the orc sent a question out to Palla.

_Yes, you're safe there for now_, she replied.

"Alright," Galmak said when they'd gathered into a small circle. "What is it that we need to know about the Daggerfen?"

Split glanced around uneasily as if he were having second thoughts about putting so much trust in a bunch of Horde. His eyes fell last on Hyara and he seemed to make up his mind. He took a deep breath. "Alright. This concerns everybody, Alliance and Horde. We're all pretty well aware of how stupid most Lost Ones are, but this time they've really gone and done it. They're being used. Big time. By the Legion." There were noises of consternation and disbelief from everyone but Zarguhl and Pellien. The mage sighed.

"I hope somebody's planning on filling me in," the Mag'har grumbled in orcish.

"Sorry," Hyara said. "I'll translate."

"I left several days ago from Orebor Harborage," Split continued. "They'd heard about some unusual Lost One activity recently, and they'd heard the Horde was interested in it too. So I decided to check it out. 'Unusual' was an understatement. Do you know what I found in Daggerfen Village?" The rogue paused and twitched his bushy green eyebrows. "Their chieftain has a Legion communications device. That's not all he has either. There are demons in that village."

"What!" Chetvek exclaimed. "How could there be demons in Zangarmarsh? The Burning Legion has no presence here."

"That's what I thought too," Split nodded. "But that's what I saw. They've got a small army of demons hiding in their bigger buildings. And it was growing too, from what I could see. There were more each time I checked."

Hyara's eyes met Galmak's. "The Horde, and probably the Alliance, is coming here tomorrow to fight the Daggerfen," she said. "Gods… they're going to come prepared to fight a disorganized tribe of Lost Ones and run straight into a Legion army."

"Instead of fighting the Horde and the Alliance at their own strongholds where they're better prepared, the Legion lures them out here to fight what they think is a weak enemy… Where could the Legion be getting that army from? Is there a transporter here somewhere?" Galmak shifted nervously and double-checked Palla's sense. All was quiet for now.

"Portal Clearing." They all looked at Zarguhl. The Mag'har's face was twisted in disgust.

"Oh no… Surely not? That would be bad… that would be very bad indeed." Chetvek shook his shaggy head ponderously.

"They caught me before I could figure out where their reinforcements were coming in from. Their Common was complete shit, but I think they thought I'd make some kind of a good-faith present for the Legion- an Alliance member to hand over. Probably the same deal for him." The rogue gestured to Pellien.

The mage sighed again. "I didn't see any of this myself. It all sounds very alarmist to me. How are we to believe this gnome?"

That thought had crossed Galmak's mind, but he was remembering the incident on the Path of Glory. Split had found the felguard camp when none of the rest of them could have. That had resulted in a major blow to the Legion's plans; plans which would have been disastrous to the Horde and the Alliance if they'd been allowed to come to fruition. If the gnome was right again, this would be just as disastrous. Or even worse.

"What is this Portal Clearing?" Hyara asked.

"One of the original portals that helped rip Draenor apart," Zarguhl said heavily. "The Legion used them to get their demons here. That one's supposed to be just a dead chunk of stone now, but if the Legion managed to get it working again we're all in deep shit." The brown orc slumped to the ground and leaned against a trunk.

There was silence for a moment. Then Chetvek cleared his throat. "We have to get warnings out."

"We've also got to check out this Portal Clearing," Galmak said. "If they're still bothering with using the Lost Ones they can't have a huge army at their disposal yet. Maybe the portal still isn't very reliable. Maybe they haven't got it working very well yet."

"Alright." Chetvek took a deep breath of the damp air. "Split… you're the obvious choice to warn the Alliance since they sent you to investigate-"

"Hey, I went 'cause I wanted to-"

"- and someone will have to return to Zabra'jin."

"It has to be you," Pellien said. "They put you in charge of figuring this out because they trust your judgment. They won't believe this fantastical story from any of the rest of us."

Chetvek snorted and stamped the ground in frustration. He looked at Galmak. He didn't want to leave his friend in such a dangerous situation, but Pellien was right. "Alright. I'll return to Zabra'jin, Split will go to Orebor Harborage, and the rest of you will investigate Portal Clearing. Only an investigation. You understand that?" He looked around at the group and they nodded. "We all need to move fast. We have very little time."

"You'll have to take my horse, Split. I'll ride with Galmak, Pellien will have to ride with Zarguhl." Hyara handed over the reins. The rogue swarmed up into the saddle, waved a silent farewell, and disappeared with a splash of hooves in the darkness. Chetvek's kodo swayed in sympathy with its master's nervousness and urgency.

"Go with the Earth Mother, my friend," the tauren whispered to Galmak. "Take care of yourself and the rest of them."

"And you also, Vek." The men grasped hands and then they were off into the heavy wet night.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Once again, thanks for reading! The next story is Liberation if you're interested.

* * *

Galmak's wolf streaked into the darkness after Zarguhl's coal-black worg. Speed was paramount even over silence now, but the graceful animals loped along almost soundlessly, leaping smaller water channels and bounding on huge paws over the sodden ground. Hyara clung to Galmak's waist; he sat in front so he would have unhindered control over the wolf.

"Do you remember from the map how far it might be?" she asked over the rush of air and the sloshing pad of paws.

"If we can keep up this pace it'll be a few hours, I guess," Galmak answered.

Mist rose from the water in places between the mushrooms. They avoided it when they could, not knowing what dangerous obstacles it might conceal. Hyara caught glimpses of strange glowing things leering at them through the mushroom trunks, as if the marsh's creatures watched with wary curiosity the scurryings of these odd beings. Will-'o-the-wisps swirled in the eddies stirred up by their passing. The wolves burst through the trunks and suddenly a lake spread before them blending reflected sky into darkness at the far edges. They bounded along at the lake's edge now, following the gentle curve.

_Move! Get away from the lake, off to your right._ Gink's warning cut in suddenly. Hyara opened her mouth, but Galmak had already turned the wolf and they leapt away into the trunks farther from the shoreline.

"Zarguhl!" Galmak barked sharply. The Mag'har craned to look back at the other orc, then turned his worg abruptly to follow. They stopped among the shading trunks and stood still and silent. For a few moments they heard only the soft lap of the lake. Then there was the sound of heavy feet on soft ground, punctuated by grunts and harsh mutterings in a language that made Hyara's skin crawl. A small troop of felguards shuffled into view, accompanied by several gan'arg. They walked along the lake back the way the travelers had just come. One of the gan'arg paused briefly, its cowled head swiveling side to side. It called something unintelligible to the other demons, then waddled ahead and its lumpy, stunted body vanished into the mushroom forest.

The group breathed again. They continued now among the trunks, away from the lake shore.

"Could you understand anything of what they were saying?" Galmak asked softly.

Hyara shuddered. "Absolutely not. It's my brother who speaks eredun, not me."

"Yeah…" Galmak frowned. "I've always meant to ask you about that."

"It wasn't always the language of demons, Galmak. He studies the ancient eredar texts that survived from Argus. It's not exactly the same dialect that the Legion speaks today. But it is close in some ways."

They traveled on in silence with time pressing urgently around them. The night was waning, the darkness turning gradually to deep blue laced with the grey of a sun not yet risen. Then abruptly a shape loomed among the mushrooms, stark and alien beside the fluid, organic forms of the marsh. Zarguhl pulled to a halt and Galmak stopped next to him.

"Portal Clearing," Zarguhl scowled. He looked as though he'd rather be almost anywhere else.

Many years ago some massive force had jarred the portal off-level and sent its foundation tipping partway into the lake. Its blue-grey stone was scarred with cracks and deep gouges. Carvings decorated the sides in intricate, twining lines inlaid with metals that shone in gold and copper and silver. The lines seemed to twist and shimmer as Hyara looked, but her eyes could never quite catch the movement; it created an impression of writhing life caught only out of the corner of an eye. It was both beautiful and strangely, quietly horrifying. Inside the massive frame the portal was blank and empty; no magical gateway swirled.

Pellien laughed mirthlessly. "So the gnome was an alarmist after all. We've wasted our time."

Galmak was busy scanning the surrounding marsh. "Those demons we saw came from somewhere. There still must be something..."

"Unless you think they strolled down the path from Nagrand," Zarguhl said, raising his eyebrows at Pellien.

Hyara smiled in spite of herself; Pellien sighed exasperatedly and hoisted himself off the back of Zarguhl's wolf. He started to walk closer to the portal.

"Wait," Galmak hissed suddenly. He pointed ahead. There was something moving off to the right of the portal in the shadow of a giant mushroom cap.

_No, stay where you are_, he sent to Palla. _If it's what I think it is, it'll know… Shit_. A wave of terror washed over him suddenly, freezing him to the spot. Hyara's fingers were digging into his sides like daggers. In front of the group Pellien stood still as stone. Zarguhl was panting audibly. The shadow became wider as if unfurling a dark cloak and moved toward the group, out into the weak light of early dawn. Galmak and Pellien knew instantly what approached them; Hyara's and Zarguhl's experience was second-hand and it took them a moment longer to realize. The group stared as if hypnotized, unable to move. The thing was tall, five yards high at least. It wore red plate armor that gleamed like blood over a muscular, pale body. Long, segmented black horns curved upwards from its hairless skull and huge veined wings swayed behind. Its fingers terminated in cruel black talons that clacked together nastily as it strode toward the group on enormous hooves.

"A nathrezim… a dreadlord," Hyara squeaked. Galmak jerked his head in an almost imperceptible nod; it was the most movement he seemed able to manage.

The dreadlord stopped before them and his piercing, pupil-less blue gaze traveled over each of them. He paused briefly at Zarguhl and a faint smile curved his lips, then the demon spoke in a voice that echoed deep in his throat.

"A pity you did not merely happen upon me here. I might have been inclined to let you continue on your way with only a…warning." The thing laughed regretfully, almost pleasantly. "But no… you came with the intent to find me. I cannot let that pass." The demon paced in front of them a moment, then beckoned to the group. "Please, come closer to the portal. It was that you wished to see, was it not? You came to discover what demon has been powering it?"

Somehow Hyara found herself sliding off Galmak's wolf. She glanced in surprise at the rest of the group and saw that everyone else was now moving also, apparently awoken from their trance of fear. _But now __I'm… obeying this thing?_ She shook her head and forced herself to stop walking forward. In front of her Galmak had also dismounted and was clutching the wolf's fur as if to root himself to the spot. Pellien was shuffling toward the portal in halting steps.

The dreadlord's head jerked to the side suddenly and his eyes narrowed as if seeking something. There was an agonized whine nearby and Palla appeared from behind a trunk. She walked slowly, stiffly into the clearing, her eyes rolling in terror. Galmak gave a stifled groan and his body lurched as if he were now trying to move forward.

"You have a remarkable bond with your pet," the dreadlord said to Galmak. "As I understand it, though, she is trying to hinder my interactions with you." He smiled. "That is hardly very sociable of her." The demon flicked a gleaming black talon and a bolt of midnight blue magic shot into the wolf's body. She gave a high, short yelp, then toppled sideways and lay still. Wide eyes stared blankly forward and her tongue lolled. Galmak convulsed as if he too had been struck and the force binding him seemed to drop away. He fell to the ground next to Palla and cradled her head in his hands.

Hyara stared in frozen horror at poor Palla's limp body. Her Gift, if somehow she could only move… but she couldn't move, and she knew too that it was hopeless. Palla was beyond her pathetic healing abilities. Galmak was murmuring now in the unique words that every hunter shared with their pet, words that would soothe and heal and give strength. But Palla's eyes stayed wide and blank. The orc cried out in agony. Zarguhl suddenly stepped forward and knelt with his hands on Palla's side. Hyara expected the demon to interfere, but he only stood watching with keen interest as the Mag'har began to chant soft, unintelligible words. Zarguhl's fingers wove green threads of light around the wolf's body as he called to her lifespark, so recently gone from the world, and asked it to return. Galmak's eyes were closed and Hyara saw his lips move in prayer. She raised her own prayer to the Light. As Zarguhl's chanting trailed to a halt Palla's eyes flickered. She took a shuddering breath in Galmak's arms and pushed herself shakily to her feet. Galmak buried his face in her fur.

"A fascinating demonstration, shaman, thank you." The dreadlord gestured to Zarguhl and smiled at the rage in Galmak's eyes. Galmak pushed his fury back and gathered up the still-shaking Palla to set her down carefully in back of the group's mounts. He treasured that fury inside him and wrapped it into a hard, cold ball for future use.

Hyara kept her thoughts vague and unfocused, relying on her sense to convey her urgent message to Gink: _Stay far away; do not come anywhere near me. Oh Light, please, let him stay away._ If only Galmak could be far from this thing too.

The demon was staring at Zarguhl intently now, and Hyara could see sweat rolling freely down the orc's face. To her horror, a thought sidled unbidden into her mind; this awful control felt all too much like that time two years before when…_he_…had invaded her mind and forced her to… She beat that memory frantically away. The dreadlord's eyes slid away from Zarguhl and lighted on her. She swallowed and struggled to keep her breathing from escalating into a pant. The demon smiled.

"You seem to have quite a history with the Legion," he said. "Regrettably, an unpleasant one. Ah… this one also." He glanced at Galmak. Hyara's struggles to keep her mind blank were apparently failing. The demon paused as if in thought, then looked again at Hyara with gleaming eyes. "Perhaps not entirely unpleasant, though?" Now he spoke conspiratorially to Galmak. "I can see that this is a painful subject for you. I think, my friend, you can be comforted in the knowledge that her past experience with the Legion was not without its occasional pleasures. Her host did please her from time to time."

Hyara would have fallen if that unseen force hadn't still held her immobile. Her cheeks burned in anger and deep shame. She'd never told Galmak; she'd always tried to deny it even to herself. There had been a few times… no more than twice. She'd been tired, depressed, confused, and weak… and all she'd wanted was to let go and forget what was happening to her. Unconsciously, she'd wanted only to steal something for herself from the horror her life had become in those months. And those few times she had briefly found pleasure in Sarzuun's bed.

Galmak stood rigidly in front of her. She couldn't see his face, but she didn't want to. She felt she'd rather die than have to see the hurt of her betrayal in his eyes.

The dreadlord turned back to Zarguhl. "You are of the Mag'har, are you not? I have never met your kind before."

"Of course not," the brown orc ground out through gritted teeth. "We've avoided your filth. We've already said it before, but I'll say it again on behalf of myself and my people: You and your Legion can fucking go to hell."

Pellien gave a strained laugh from where he stood frozen in front of Zarguhl. "Well said, friend. Not all of my own people have said the same thing, but on behalf of myself, at least, I second that motion."

Something shifted abruptly in the dreadlord's face, a sudden look of patience lost and full malice set lose. He lashed out with one huge, clawed hand, backhanding Pellien and sending him thudding to the ground. The mage lay stunned, his eyes staring unfocused at the sky. The dreadlord glanced disdainfully at the mage on the ground, then refocused his attention on Zarguhl. The demon chuckled cruelly.

"I don't believe you or your people know what you are missing. How could you? You have never experienced the euphoria of our demonic magics before. You have no basis for comparison, my friend."

He moved closer to the Mag'har. Morning was breaking slowly across the marsh now, the sun sliding upward. Watery light squinted through the mist and cast the creature's huge black shadow over Zarguhl. The orc stood glaring defiantly. The dreadlord raised his hands and idly, casually, he twitched his fingers until a pulsing ball of black shadow appeared hovering in the air. Green flashes of lightning crackled at the center of the ball. Everyone stared in mesmerized fascination at the thing. With a sudden flick of one hand the demon sent the ball of shadow shooting at Zarguhl. It seemed to absorb into the orc's body. His limbs twitched, he howled in pain and fell writhing at the demon's feet. Pellien, forgotten and unfrozen for the moment, crawled to Zarguhl's side and reached out a hand; he jerked it back as if from hot iron. The Mag'har clawed at the ground and to Hyara's horror she saw that a change was taking place. The orc's skin seemed to be peeling, flaking away as if his body were shedding scales. Slowly but perceptibly a green tinge began to bleed outward from under his shirt across his skin. It crawled down his arms and legs, flushed upward through his neck and finally reached his face. The shadowy orb burst out of the orc's chest and the demon snuffed it between his hands. Zarguhl lay still except for the heaving of his chest. His skin was now a deep emerald green.

"There," the demon said. "Now you understand. Though I suppose that makes you not truly Mag'har anymore. Pity."

Zarguhl sat up and looked down at himself in horror. He seemed to be having trouble remaining upright. The dreadlord stepped back from Zarguhl and faced them all.

_We have to do something… he's playing with us, he's going to brutalize us one by one._ Hyara fought to keep her fear in check and her thoughts fleeting and vague as she considered their options. Everyone was frozen in place again except Zarguhl, who still sat on the ground swaying slightly as if drunk. They might have a chance if only they could make some sort of diversion, something to distract him long enough to make him relinquish his grip on their minds and bodies…

Her eyes caught a slight movement behind the demon. She started momentarily; _How did he…?_ But she had no time to wonder about that, and instead she let other thoughts flood in, hoping to bury her moment of realization from the demon's probing mind. Just a few more seconds and they would have their distraction. Hyara couldn't tell if Galmak had noticed too, but she risked a warning.

"Get ready," she breathed to him in front of her, barely moving her lips.

The demon was about to speak again when Gink sprang. With a snarl he landed on the dreadlord's back and sunk his claws deep. The demon's focus on the group shattered and they were free. Hyara and Galmak whipped their bows around and aimed in perfect synchronicity at the thing's lightly-armored spots. A ball of flame flickered around Pellien's hands, then surged forward with a roar. Zarguhl had staggered to his feet and was flinging blow after blow with his maces. His eyes were full of fury and pain. Gink still clung to the creature's back, shredding at the vulnerable leathery wings.

The dreadlord roared as their attacks hit him. His armor deflected much of the damage, but damage wasn't all that troubled him: his prey, so neatly manipulated and controlled only a moment before, had suddenly reared up and bit hard. He found all this combat business highly unpleasant. But no matter; they were only four…

A sound at their backs made Hyara risk a glance over her shoulder. A huge elekk charged out of the forest into the clearing, followed closely by another, then another… the Alliance had arrived; Split had made it. She cheered in relief as soldiers in the colors of Orebor Harborage and Telredor swept in around the demon. Pellien's spellcasts were joined by a barrage of others. The demon roared again in a final desperate fury and scythed his talons into the mob of attackers. Hyara felt one last brush against her mind, one final moment of paralysis and fear, then the thing thudded to the ground and its ice-blue gaze went dark.

She dropped her bow and shoved her way into the crowd surrounding the dead demon. _Gink, where are you…_ She couldn't feel him; their bond was silent. She broke through to the center, her eyes searching in dread, and then she spotted him. Gink sat calmly beside the body, huge pink tongue licking a wound on his haunch. He looked up, met her eyes, and suddenly his sense flooded back into her. He bounded over and she put her arms around him.

_How did you…? _

He nuzzled her fondly. _Every one of us remembers what it was like before, Hyara. We're all free to stay or leave our hunters. I shut you out for a time and returned to the wild where my presence meant as little to the demon as one of the spore bats. You thought after what happened to Palla I would simply leave you?_

_I wanted to keep you safe._

He seemed both amused and exasperated. _You upright-walkers are slow learners. If you wouldn't listen to Galmak when he told you to stay away, why do you think I would stay away when you're in danger?_

She scratched his ears and murmured words of healing to close his wounds. She looked up to see Galmak shouldering his way bravely through the crowd of draenei and Broken soldiers. Hyara leapt up and threw her arms around him, not caring who saw.

"We did it," she whispered. "That's another demon the Legion will never use again."

He laughed and squeezed her in a long, hard hug.

She felt a sudden poke on her leg and looked down. Split was craning his neck up at them, his green eyebrows waggling like caterpillars.

"Uh… They're going to want to know what happened here. Just so ya know," said the gnome.

Hyara glanced at Galmak, then shrugged down at Split. "I just happened by and volunteered to go with this group to help out. Tell them your story, Split. You can be the hero. As for me… I will disappear as quickly as possible."

Split crossed his arms. "What are you going to do? Run forever? Make no connections and vanish at the first opportunity?"

Hyara smiled. "I think I have made connections."

He grinned back. "Alright. Well, go then, before anyone decides to ask why you're hanging all over an orc."

They slipped quietly away in the confusion and celebration that still surrounded the dreadlord's body. A short distance away, a small Horde force was arriving on the scene. Hyara smiled to herself to see the Alliance and Horde officers discussing recent events together. A battle was still being waged at Daggerfen Village, but the two armies had gone in prepared with the knowledge that they would have to fight demons, and now there would be no further Legion reinforcements arriving.

Chetvek, Pellien, and Zarguhl stood a short distance away, apart from all the activity that now swarmed in Portal Clearing. Hyara and Galmak joined them with Gink and Palla trotting along nearby. Palla moved a little more slowly than usual, but she was doing alright, Galmak judged. She ought to get some time to recover, though, he thought. They'd have to find someplace nice and quiet to go.

Hyara smiled when she saw that Split had left her horse here with the others' mounts, but as she started to climb into the saddle a thought struck her. She secured her horse's reins to Galmak's wolf and instead climbed up to sit in front of him.

"Let's go," Zarguhl said as the two hunters reached the group. He kept his eyes down and his face was set like stone. Chetvek looked as though he wanted to ask a hundred questions, but the tauren kept silent and they struck out back for the road.

Galmak rested his chin on Hyara's shoulder and his breath brushed warm against her cheek. His arms enclosed her and she leaned back into his embrace.

"This is the only way to travel," he said. "Why did we ever stop?"

She laughed softly. They went on in silence for a few moments. Finally Hyara gathered herself to speak, to say what weighed so heavily on her. She felt she had to explain, to somehow try to make things right. She had to believe Galmak would understand that she hadn't wanted anything Sarzuun had done to her.

But as if he sensed what she was about to say, Galmak held a finger to her lips. He spoke softly so the others wouldn't overhear. "Shh. Let me say this first. Do you want to know what I thought when the demon said that? 'Good for her.' You took what that bastard eredar was doing to you and you threw it back in his face. You stayed alive and you fought him every step. And you won in the end."

"I never meant you to know… Now I wish I hadn't kept it from you," she sighed.

"No. I told you I didn't need to know everything. Years ago I told you I would help you bear whatever I could, whatever you wanted me to, but nothing more than what you wanted to tell. He was a monster, Hyara. I know that as well as you do. Please, love… we need to let go of that time."

"I'm trying." She squeezed her eyes shut.

He continued. "There were things… I never told you either. Raizha, uh, took more of an interest in me than I wanted. She didn't like taking no for an answer. There were times I almost gave in."

Hyara let this new revelation settle on her. A flash of understanding hit her suddenly. "She loved you," Hyara murmured.

Galmak sighed. "I don't think that was it, exactly. I think she loved the part of me that loved you so much I would gladly have died if it could have gotten you out of there. She saw that in you too. It was something she'd never encountered before, and… Well, she's a succubus. It must have been the strongest force of attraction she'd ever seen and it would've run contrary to her nature to deny it. So she helped us."

Hyara pulled his arms more tightly around her and he squeezed her close. She turned her head and he kissed her long and tenderly. Ahead of them Chetvek glanced back at his friend but quickly turned away. The tauren grinned.

Pellien made a retching noise. "If you two are done yet…"

Galmak chuckled. "Nope, never done. Mind your own business." He kissed her again.

Zarguhl spoke suddenly. "I don't know where the rest of you are headed, but I'm going to Garadar. Back to the home of… the Mag'har."

"Your people," Chetvek's voice rumbled.

Zarguhl's eyes fell away from his friend to look down at his green hands, but he continued. "I would count it an honor to have any of you come with me to Nagrand."

Hyara smiled at her husband. "I think that sounds like a good idea," she said.

It did sound like a good idea. Nagrand was supposed to be a beautiful place. Maybe some peace for them, peace for Palla and Gink… perhaps a place that could feel a little more like home for a time, like Azeroth. The ancestral lands of the orcs. The place Galmak's people, all of them, could call home in some way. A place the draenei had deep roots in too.

Galmak took his wife's hands and smiled back at her. "Nagrand it is, then."

* * *


End file.
